THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

Ex  Libris 

Katharine  F.  Richmond 

and 
Henry  C.  Fall 


CHAS.  H.  HORTON, 
JOOKBIKTIDE: 

Air,rTiin(r  Star  Kllilrlinff. 


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HISTORICAL  RELICS 


White  Mountains 


1631  to  1855. 


r;  o  s  T  o  x  : 
PUBLISH  F.i>  uv  :\ATHAMI;L  NOTES 

>;<,.  i 

..  5. 


ALSO, 

A  CONCISE  WHITE   MOUNTAIN  GUIDE;    AND  A  METEOROLOGICAL 
TABLE  FOR  1853-4,  GIVING  THE  INDICATIONS  OF  THE  THERMOM- 
ETER, ON  THE  TOP  OF  MOUNT  WASHINGTON,  AT  SUNRISE, 
NOON,  AND   SUNSET,  WITH  A  SYNOPSIS  OF  THE 
SAME  FOR  EACH  SUMMER  MONTH. 


BY 

JOHN    H.    SPAULDING. 


BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED    BY    NATHANIEL    NOYES, 

NO.     11    COBNRILL. 

1855. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1855,  by 

J.    H.    SPAULDING, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts 


Stereotyped   by 

HOBART   ft   BOBBINS, 

Mew  EngUnd  T  vpe  tnd  Stcr  eotjpe  Found«ry, 


INTRODUCTION. 


THERE  may  be  no  locality  combining  more  general  interest 
for  the  pleasure-seeking  tourist  than  the  WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 
Here  every  season  thousands  come  from  different  climes,  on  a 
pilgrimage,  that  they  may  pay  most  worshipful  tribute  in 
spirit-felt  wonder,  and  songs  of  praise.  My  apology  for 
attempting  to  originate  and  compile  the  following  pages,  is 
the  belief  that  the  curiosity  of  the  travelling  public  requires 
a  work  embodying  my  design.  The  pencil  of  "  Oakes  "  and 
the  pen  of  "Beckett"  have  nicely  defined  every  explored 
locality,  interestingly  connected  with  the  particular  geography 
of  these  mountains ;  besides  which,  the  number  of  those 
may  be  called  "  legion  "  who  have  made  fancied  famous 
record  for  the  world  of  their  "White  Mountain  impressions. 
These  mountains  are  a  fadeless  pictured  page  in  Nature's 
wonderful  book,  —  or  a  gigantic  monument  of  ruins  formed 
by  an  overwhelming  change,  that  widely  disfigured  the  origi- 
nal geological  formation  of  this  wild  region  ;  and  as  a  massive 
rock-shadow  in  a  strange  land,  is  to  a  journey-sick  pilgrim 
with  a  gushing  cold-water  spring  by  his  feet,  so  my  impres- 
sions of  these  famous  "old  peaks"  now  rise  to  my  sight. 
An  ambitious  presence  in  fancy  is  with  me  now,  with  a  voice 
saying,  like  a  prophetic  whisper  from  "  Gheistland,"  "  Res- 
cue from  the  twilight  of  forgetfulness  the  HISTORICAL  RELICS 
1* 


TI  INTRODUCTION. 

OF  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS  !  "  The  curious  data  of  olden  times 
—  the  antiquities  of  this  anciently  named  Agiochook,  with 
the  statistical  facts  of  modern  origin,  necessary  for  a  concise 
history  of  "  these  bald  old  heads  of  nature  '.'  —  have  never  been 
tangibly  combined.  The  trials  and  daring  exploits  of  the 
fearless  adventurers,  who  in  other  days  filled  the  historic 
blank  of  this  renowned  locality,  are  rich  with  rarities  for  a 
work  of  interest  to  the  reading  world.  Their  life-relics  have 
twined  around  them,  by  traditionary  remembrance,  pleasant 
associations  of  undecayable  interest.  We  may  for  future 
visions  gaze  back  from  the  cloud-capped  crags  into  the  valley 
of  the  past,  and  rescue  from  the  oblivious  mist  of  years  the 
oral  monuments,  that,  tinctured  by  the  life-passion  of  times 
long  gone,  linger  like  visions  of  light  upon  the  map  of 
memory. 

Vanity  is  not  the  power  that  prompts  me  to  desire  success 
in  this  task  ;  but  as  storm  and  time  cover  the  names  chiselled 
upon  the  top  crag  of  Mount  Washington  with  moss,  so, 
with  a  round  of  years,  "  Old  Mortality"  should  come,  to 
brighten  up  the  vestiges  of  the  past,  and  catalogue  new 
events  with  the  re-chiselled. 

The  antiquarian  collections  of  interesting  facts,  found  in  the 
library  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  having  been 
open  to  my  inquiry,  my  humble  tribute  of  respect  is  due  that 
society  for  the  arrangement  by  which  my  research  has  been 
favored;  and  their  assistant  librarian,  John  Appleton,  M.D., 
is,  for  his  politeness  to  me  as  a  stranger,  deserving  my  last- 
ing gratitude.  The  kindness  of  J.  M.  Rix,  Esq.,  of  Lancas- 
ter, in  giving  me  free  access  to  his  library  of  choice  books,  is 
happily  remembered.  N.  Noyes,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  and  B.  F. 
Whidden,  Esq.,  of  Lancaster,  have  my  sincere  thanks  for 
assisting  me  in  obtaining  the  facts  here  registered,  from  the 
most  authentic  records.  J.  H.  S. 

Lancaster,  June,  1855. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


PAGB 

Legendary  Qrigin  of  White  Mountains, 1 

First  Tisit,  in  the  Year  1631, 2 

Origin  of  Name  "  Crystal  Hills," 3 

Darby  Field's  Visit'  1642, 4 

Indian  Veneration  for  Agiochook, 6 

Geographical  Situation, 8 

Geological  Features, 8 

Minerals, 9 

Scientific  Measurements  of  the  Mountains,     ...".... 12 

Height  of  the  White  Mountains, 14 

Perpetual  Congelation, 14 

Snow  Arch  and  Bank, 15 

Dining  under  Forty  Feet  of  Snow, 15 

Alpine  Flowers, , 16 

The  Veteran  Pilot, 16 

First  White-Mountain  Guide, 16 

First  Hotel, 17 

Indian  Prophecy  on  "  Giant's  Grave," 17 

The  "  White-Mountain  Giant," 18 

Place  of  his  Birth, 18 

Record  of  his  Strength, 20 

Carrying  the  Kettle  and  Deer, 20 

Halter-Breaking  the  Mountain  Buck, 20 

The  Giant  lugging  the  Old  Bear, 20 

First  White-Mountain  Bear-Show, 21 

Catching  the  Wildcat  with  a  Withe, , 21 

The  Two  Close  Shots, 22 

Ethan's  Pond, ' 23 

The  Giant  carrying  a  Lady, 23 

The  Men  who  named  the  Mountain, 23 

First  Night  spent  on  Mount  Washington, 24 

Blue  Pond  and  the  Giant's  Load, 24 

First  Mount-Washington  Bridie-Path,     24 

Location  of  that  Old  Path, 25 

Ethan's  Stone  Cabin, 25 

The  Old  Iron  Chest  and  Roll  of  Lead, 25 

First  Ladies  on  Mount  Washington, 25 

First  Horseback  Ride, 26 

White-Mountain  Guides,      27 

Tradition  of  Silver  and  Gold, 28 


Vm  CONTENTS. 

PAG  a 

Tradition  of  Carbuncles, 80 

Carbuncle  Hunters, 31 

The  Red  Man's  Curse, 31 

The  Indian  Ghost, 31 

Lost  Spirits'  Looking-Glass, 31 

Bogers  and  his  Rangers, 32 

Silver  Image,  Wampum,  and  Money, 33 

Bangers'  Relics  found, 30 

Strange  Sights  seen, 38 

The  Old  Fortune-Teller, 41 

Search  for  Silver  Image,  etc., 42 

The  Old  Brass  Plate, 48 

Discovery  of  the  Notch, 49 

The  Hunters  Nash  and  Sawyer,  .   .   .   .   , 49 

Description  of  Notch, 49 

Silver  Cascade 60 

The  Flume, 50 

First  Settler  through  the  Notch, 51 

The  First  Female, 51 

"  Granny  Stalbird's  "  Bock, 52 

Story  of  "  Nancy's  Bock  and  Brook," 52 

First  Goods  brought  up  the  Notch, 54 

First  Produce  carried  down, 55 

First  House  in  the  Notch, 55 

Avalanche  of  the  Mountain, 58 

Origin  of  Indian  Fire- Worship, 67 

Destruction  of  the  Willey  Family,    . 58 

Names  of  the  Family, 59 

Wonderful  Escapes, 59 

Destruction  of  "  Ethan's  Cabin," ..60 

Origin  of  Peabody  Biver, 60 

Darby  Field's  Second  Visit, 61 

Death  of  the  English  Baronet, 62 

Death-Leap  of  the  Moose  and  Dog,     64 

Indian  Exile  Pealsucep, 64 

Silver-Mine  found, 68 

White-Mountain  Hermit,     68 

The  Stolen  White  Girl, 69 

White-Mountain  Hotel, 71 

Dwelling-Place  in  the  Clouds, 72 

Nazro's  Temple  Vision, 72 

Summit  House,  Mount  Washington, 74 

Tip-Top  House,  Mount  Washington, 74 

Mount- Washington  Carriage-Road, 76 


CONTENTS.  IX 

FAGB 

White-Mountain  Objects  of  Interest, 78 

The  Crystal  Cascade 78 

The  Hermit's  Lake, 79 

Fall  of  a  Thousand  Streams, , 80 

Tuokerman's  Ravine, 80 

Glen  Elise  Falls, 80 

Lake  of  the  Clouds  and  Star  Lake, 80 

"  Gulf  of  Mexico," 81 

Bones  in  the  "  Burnt  District," 82 

The  "  Devil's  Den," 83 

Bearing  and  Distances  of  White  Mountains, 84 

Height,  Bearing  and  Distances  of  other  Mountains  from  Mt.  Washington,  .  84 

Franconia  and  its  Attractions, 85 

The  "  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain," 86 

The  Pool, 86 

The  Flume, .87 

The  Basin, 87 

The  Cascade, 87 

Mount  Lafayette,  or  the  "  Great  Haystack," 87 

Eagle  Mountain, 88 

Length  of  Days  at  the  Summit  of  Mount  Washington, 88 

Thermometrical  Table  for  1853, 89 

Summary  of  the  Weather  for  same, 91 

Thermometrical  Table  for  1854 92 

Summary  of  the  Weather  for  same, 94 

Routes  and  Distances  to  the  Mountains, 97 


HISTORICAL  RELICS 


THE    WHITE    MOUNTAINS 


LEGENDARY  ORIGIN  OF  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 

.COLD  storms  were  in  the  northern  wilderness,  and  a 
lone  red  hunter  wandered  without  food,  chilled  by  the 
frozen  wind.  He  lost  his  strength,  and  could  find  no 
game ;  and  the  dark  cloud  that  covered  his  life-path 
made  him  weary  of  wandering.  He  fell  down  upon  the 
snow,  and  a  dream  carried  him  to  a  wide,  happy  valley, 
filled  with  musical  streams,  where  singing  birds  and  game 
were  plenty.  His  spirit  cried  aloud  for  joy ;  and  the 
"  Great  Master  of  Life  "  waked  him  from  his  sleep,  gave 
him  a  dry  coal  and  a  flint-pointed  spear,  telling  him  that 
by  the  shore  of  the  lake  he  might  live,  and  find  fish  with 
his  spear,  and  fire  from  his  dry  coal.  One  night,  when 
he  had  laid  down  his  coal,  and  seen  a  warm  fire  spring  up 
therefrom,  with  a  blinding  smoke,  a  loud  voice  came  out 
of  the  flame,  and  a  great  noise,  like  thunder,  filled  the 


2  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

air ;  and  there  rose  up  a  vast  pile  of  broken  rocks.  Out 
of  the  cloud  resting  upon  the  top  came  numerous  streams, 
dancing  down,  foaming  cold ;  and  the  voice  spake  to  the 
astonished  red  hunter,  saying,  "Here  the  Great  Spirit 
will  dwell,  and  watch  over  his  favorite  children"  —  Old 
Legend. 

FIRST  VISIT,  IN  1631. 

DR.  BELKNAP,  the  learned  historian  of  New  Hampshire, 
gives  Walter  Neal  the  credit  of  being  the  first  explorer  of 
these  mountains,  as  early  as  the  year  1632.  Merrill's  N. 
H.  Gazetteer  of  1817  concludes,  from  the  best  authorities, 
that  Kobert  Neal,  Walter  Neal  and  others,  visited  these 
mountains  as  early  as  the  year  1631.  Josselyn,  in  his 
New  England  Rarities,  gives  the  following  description, 
which,  with  little  variation,  is  found  also  in  Belknap,  as 
an  extract  from  Hubbard's  MS.  History,  credited  to 
Walter  Neal : 

"  Four  score  miles  (upon  a  direct  line)  to  the  N.  W.  of 
Scarboro'  a  ridge  of  mountains  runs  N.  W.  and  N.  E.  an 
hundred  leagues,  known  by  the  name  of  White  Hills,  upon 
which  lieth  snow  all  the  year,  and  is  a  landmark  twenty 
miles  off  at  sea.  It  is  a  rising  ground  from  the  sea-shore 
to  these  hills,  and  they  are  inaccessible  but  by  the  gulleys 
which  the  dissolved  snow  hath  made.  In  these  gulleys 
grow  savin  bushes,  which,  being  taken  hold  of,  are  a  good 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  3 

help  to  the  climbing  discoverer.  Upon  the  top  of  the 
highest  of  these  mountains  is  a  large  level,  or  plain,  of  a 
day's  journey  over,  whereon  nothing  grows  but  moss.  At 
the  further  end  of  this  plain  is  another  hill,  called  the 
'Sugarloaf,'  to  outward  appearance  a  rude  heap  of  mass- 
ive stones,  piled  one  upon  another ;  and  you  may,  as  you 
ascend,  step  from  one  stone  to  another,  as  if  you  were 
going  up  a  pair  of  stairs,  but  winding  still  about  the  hill, 
till  you  come  to  the  top,  which  will  require  half  a  day's 
time,  and  yet  it  is  not  above  a  mile,  where  there  is  also 
a  level  of  about  an  acre  of  ground,  with  a  pond  of  clear 
water  in  the  midst  of  it,  which  you  may  hear  run  down ; 
but  how  it  ascends  is  a  mystery.  From  this  rocky  hill 
you  may  see  the  whole  country  around  about.  It  is  far 
above  the  lower  clouds,  and  from  hence  we  beheld  vapor 
(like  a  great  pillar)  drawn  up  by  the  sunbeams  out  of  a 
great  lake,  or  pond,  into  the  air,  where  it  was  formed  into 
a  cloud.  The  country  beyond  these  hills,  northward,  is 
daunting  terrible,  being  full  of  rocky  hills,  as  thick  as 
mole-hills  in  a  meadow,  and  clothed  with  infinite  thick 
woods."*  —  N.  E.  Rarities,  3-4. 

*  Another  writer,  after  giving  a  similar  description,  adds,  "  We 
had  great  expectation  of  finding  precious  stones  on  these  moun- 
tains ;"  and  something  resembling  crystals  being  picked  up,  was 
sufficient  to  give  them  the  name  of  "  Crystal  Hills."  They  were 
long  called  by  that  name.  —  AUTHOR. 
2 


4  HISTOKICAL   BJELICS  OF 

DARBY  FIELD'S  VISIT,  IN  1642. 

June  4th,  1642.  —  "  Darby  Field  "  (says  Winthrop,  in 
his  Journal),  "an  Irishman,  living  about  Piscat,  being 
accompanied  with  two  Indians,  went  to  the  top  of  the 
White  Hill.  He  made  his  journey  in  eighteen  days.  His 
relation,  at  his  return,  was,  that  it  was  about  160  miles 
from  Saco ;  that  after  40  miles  travel  he  did,  for  the  most 
part,  ascend ;  and  within  12  miles  of  the  top  was  neither 
tree  nor  grass,  but  low  savins,  which  they  went  upon  the 
top  of,  sometimes ;  but  a  continual  ascent  upon  rocks,  on  a 
ridge,  between  two  valleys,  filled  with  snow,  out  of  which 
came  two  branches  of  the  Saco  river,  which  met  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  where  was  an  Indian  town,  of  some  200 
people.  Some  of  them  accompanied  him  within  8  miles 
of  the  top,  but  durst  go  no  farther,  telling  him  that  no 
Indian  ever  dared  to  go  higher,  and  that  he  would  die  if 
he  went.  So  they  staid  there  till  his  return,  and  his  two 
Indians  took  courage  by  his  example,  and  went  with  him. 
They  went  divers  times  through  thick  clouds,  for  a  good 
space ;  and  within  4  miles  of  the  top  they  had  no  clouds, 
but  very  cold.  By  the  way  among  the  rocks  there  was 
two  ponds :  one  a  blackish  water,  and  the  other  reddish. 
The  top  of  all  was  plain,  about  60  ft.  square.  On  the 
north  side  was  such  a  precipice  as  they  could  scarcely  dis- 
cern the  bottom.  They  had  neither  cloud  nor  wind  on 


THE    WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  5 

the  top,  and  moderate  heat.  All  the  country  about  him 
seemed  a  level,  except  here  and  there  a  hill  rising  above 
the  rest,  and  far  beneath  them.  He  saw,  to  the  north,  a 
great  water,  which  he  judged  to  be  100  miles  broad,  but 
could  see  no  land  beyond  it.  The  sea  by  Saco  seemed  as 
if  it  had  been  within  20  miles.  He  saw,  also,  a  sea  to 
the  eastward,  which  he  judged  to  be  the  gulf  of  Canada. 
He  saw  some  great  waters  in  parts  to  the  westward,  which 
he  judged  to  be  the  great  lake  Canada  river  (St.  Lawrence) 
came  out  of.  He  found  there  much  Muscovy  glass  ;  they 
could  rive  out  pieces  40  ft.  long,  and  7  or  8  broad. 
When  he  came  back  to  the  Indians,  he  found  them  drying 
themselves  by  the  fire ;  for  they  had  a  great  tempest  of 
wind  and  rain.  About  a  month  after,  he  went  again, 
with  five  or  six  of  his  company.  Then  they  had  some 
wind  on  the  top,  and  some  clouds  above  them,  which  hid 
the  sun.  They  brought  some  stones,  which  they  supposed 
had  been  diamonds;  but  they  were  most  crystal."*  — 
Winthrop's  Journal,  p.  247. 

INDIAN  VENEEATION  FOE  AGIOCHOOK. 

According  to  antiquarian  research,  the  aboriginal  name 
of  the  White  Mountains  was"  Agiochook;"  spelt,  also,  Agio- 

*  We  may  reasonably  conclude  that  Darby  Field's  trail  was  up 
the  ridge  between  Tuckerman's  Ravine  and  the  valley  of  Dry 
River.  —  AUTHOB. 


6  HISTORICAL    RELICS   OF 

cochook,  Agicoochooke,  Agriochooke;  signifying,  by  ancient 
Indian  nomenclature,  "  Mountain  of  the  Snaivy  Forehead, 
and  Home  of  the  Great  Spirit."  Schoolcraft,  in  his  "  Indian 
Wigwam,"  page  248,  gives,  as  the  Algonquin  pronuncia- 
tion of  these  mountains,  "Waubik,"  or  "Waumbick;" 
meaning  " White  Rock."  Becket,  in  his  "Guide,"  calls 
them,  from  ancient  authority,  "  Waumbeket  Methna,"  sig- 
nifying mountains  of  the  "  Snowy  Foreheads."  The  lore 
of  legend,  the  voice  of  tradition,  and  the  record  of  history, 
point  to  these  mountains  as  a  locality  of  great  interest. 
In  olden  times,  from  far  and  near  have  come  the  brave 
and  fair  red  children  of  the  wilderness,  to  offer,  in  wild, 
shadowy  glens,  their  sacrifices  of  vengeance  and  love  ;  and 
where  their  songs  rose,  with  the  echoes  of  thundering 
waterfalls,  to  mingle  with  the  roaring  wind  of  the  tempest 
cloud,  upon  the  snow-crowned  rock,  there  they  rever- 
ently believed  the  Great  Spirit  listened  with  satisfaction 
to  their  tributes  of  esteem.  When  the  first  white  man 
came  here,  to  climb  to  the  top  of  this  bald  mountain,  an 
old  Indian,  with  his  tomahawk  of  stone,  flint-pointed  ar- 
row, and  tanned  war-dress,  from  the  skins  of  moose  and 
bear,  standing  proudly  erect,  shook  his  head,  and  said, 
"The  Great  Spirit  dwells  there;  he  covers  steps  above  the 
green  leaves  with  the  darkness  of  the  fire  tempest.  No 
foot-marks  are  seen  returning  from  his  home  in  the  clouds." 
The  explorer's  thirst  for  daring  adventure  overruled  the 


THE    WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  7 

fear  created  by  the  Indians'  superstition ;  and,  after  learn- 
ing that  the  Great  Spirit  sent  a  high  wind,  in  a  thick 
mist,  and  caught  up  to  the  top  of  Agiochook  a  single  sanop 
and  his  squaw,  that  the  wilderness  and  all  the  mountains 
except  this,  might  be  covered  for  two  suns  with  water,  and 
that  they  might  then  return  as  the  only  mortals  who  should 
ever  come  down  the  "  White  Rock  "  from  his  dwelling 
place,  he  went  to  the  top,  and  safely  returned.  All  old 
authentic  records  agree,  that  the  aborigines  unitedly  had 
a  peculiar  superstitious  veneration  for  these  mountains. 
They  considered  them-  the  dwelling-place  of  the  invisible 
One,  who,  with  a  motion  of  his  hand,  could  raise  a  storm ; 
and  accordingly  they  deemed  it  pardonless  sacrilege  to 
ascend  them.  Traditions  teach  us  that  a  few  have  been 
found  so  daring  (in  the  long  history  of  the  Indians)  as  to 
press,  with  their  moccasined  feet  the  moss  that  grows 
above  the  region  of  scrub  vegetation ;  and  such  have  been 
doomed  to  wander  forever  invisibly  among  wild  gorges, 
with  no  resting-jj)Iace  save  the  damp,  cold  caverns  in  the 
rocks,  and  no  hope  of  ever  reaching  the  "happy  land" 
beyond  the  setting  sun.  To  this  day,  those  are  to  be 
found  who  credulously  believe  that  the  strange  noises  often 
heard  among  the  shadowy  cliffs  (instead  of  giving  credit  to 
wolves  and  wild-cats)  proceed  from  lost  spirits,  that  miser- 
ably exist  here  in  hopeless  torment,  perpetually  bewailing 
their  fate. 

2* 


8  HISTORICAL    RELICS   OF 

GEOGRAPHICAL  SITUATION  OF  WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 

These  mountains  are  situated  in  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  County  of  Coos.  Their  latitude  is  44° 
16'  34£"  north,  and  longitude  77°  20'  west.  Since  their 
discovery  by  the  early  voyagers  along  the  wild  coast  of 
New  England,  they  have  ever  been  regarded  with  won- 
der and  admiration.  Deep,  shadowy  gorges,  where  the 
everlasting  waterfall  lives  among  massy  crags,  with  its 
endless  thunder-song;  the  yawning  chasms,  filled  with 
snow,  and  romantic,  flowery  glens,  shaded  by  a  gnarled 
growth  of  old  forest-trees,  combined  with  an  area  of  fifty 
thousand  three  hundred  and  forty-one  acres  of  shattered 
rocks,  piled  high  up  to  the  clouds,  in  the  wildest  disorder 
imaginable,  form  the  remarkable  outline  of  this  famous 
locality.  No  wonder  that  the  rude,  nature-tanned  son  of 
the  wilderness,  as  he  gazed  upon  this  gigantic  pile  of  rocks, 
standing  up  from  its  original  bed  six  thousand  two  hundred 
and  eighty-five  feet  into  the  clouds,  was  filled  with  super- 
stitious veneration ;  for  here,  in  all  coming  time,  the  en- 
lightened sons  of  science  may  pay  willing  homage,  where 
the  Great  Spirit  dwelt  in  storms,  and  gave  the  thunder 
his  voice,  and  the  lightning  the  flash  of  his  anger ! 

GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 

According  to  the  report  of  the  geological  surveyor  of 
the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  Dr.  C.  T.  Jackson,  the  feat- 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  9 

ures  of  these  mountains,  geologically  considered,  possess 
little  peculiar  interest.  The  rocks  in  places  consist  of  a 
coarse  variety  of  mica  slate,  passing  into  gneiss,  and  con- 
taining a  few  crystals  of  black  tourmaline,  and  quartz. 
The  cone  of  Mount  Washington  and  its  summit  are  covered 
with  myriads  of  angular  and  flat  blocks,  and  slabs  of  mica 
slate,  piled  in  confusion  one  upon  another.  These  are 
identical  in  nature  with  the  rocks  in  place,  and  leave  no 
marks  of  transportation  or  abrasion  by  the  action  of  water. 
The  nucleus  of  these  mountains  is  granite  rock,  and  the 
mica  slate  found  on  the  top  of  the  different  peaks  is  but  a 
superficial  crust ;  and  it  is  observable  that  the  sedimentary 
deposit,  or  granite,  has  been  disturbed  by  upheavals, 
which,  with  the  action  of  a  comparatively  moderate  heat 
for  ages,  has  doubled  back  and  twisted  and  broken  these 
large  sheets  of  mica  slate,  and  left  the  fragments  exposed 
in  the  wildest  confusion,  for  mortal  wonder. 

MINERALS. 

Various  local  traditions  are  in  existence  to  prove  the 
adventurous  belief  of  many,  that  yet,  in  some  unexplored 
or  enchantment-guarded  places,  are  mines  of  wealth  of 
immense  value.  These  tend  to  tantalize  the  imagination 
of  many;  with  how  much  probability  for  future  real- 
ization is  not  my  province  to  decide.  In  this  book  will 
be  found  certain  of  these  traditions,  which,  in  their  proper 


10  HISTORICAL   RELICS  OF 

places  are  deemed  worthy  of  record,  for  the  gratification 
of  public  curiosity. 

The  minerals  yet  obtained  among  these  mountains  are 
not  satisfactory  to  the  spirit  of  discovery.  Southerly 
from  the  top  of  Mount  Washington  is  found  a  vein  of 
quartz,  containing  crystals  of  fluor-spar  of  an  apple-green 
color,  and  crystallized  in  its  primary  form.  This  attracts 
the  attention  of  collectors  of  minerals,  and  is  worthy  of 
notice  as  a  curiosity.  A  few  quartz  crystals,  in  the  form 
of  six-sided  prisms,  also  occur  at  the  same  place.  Near 
the  location  of  these  crystals  has  been  found,  lately,  a 
new  bed  of  black  tourmaline,  which  has  furnished  some 
finely-shaped  crystals.  These  specimens  are  found  in  large 
masses  of  milk-quartz,  near  the  routs  to  the  summit  of  the 
mountain,  from  the  old  Crawford  or  Davis  path.  On  a 
branch  of  Dry  river,  have  been  found  some  remarkably 
large  and  transparent  specimens  of  quartz  crystallization, 
and  much  search  has  been  made  there  for  a  bed  of  dia- 
monds that  are  of  a  rare  quality.  An  old  hunter  (San- 
born)  is  now  living,  who  faithfully  affirms  that,  many 
years  ago,  while  fishing,  up  a  small  branch  of  Dry  river, 
under  the  eastern  side  of  Mount  Pleasant,  he  came  to  a 
place  where  the  water  ran  between  two  high  white  rocka 
so  covered  with  perfect  diamonds  that  it  was  blinding  to 
his  eyes  to  look  upon  the  same.  He  succeeded  in  break- 
ing off  three  with  his  fish-pole,  which  he  sold  for  five  dol- 


THE    WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  11 

lars  each,  at  Old  Abel  Crawford's.  Several  exploring 
parties  have  been  in  search  of  this  treasure ;  and  as  lately 
as  1853  the  same  old  gray-headed  hunter  who  made  the 
discovery,  went  with  two  other  treasure-seekers,  armed 
with  drills  and  powder,  &<?.,  and  made  thorough  search, 
for  several  days,  among  all  the  small  northern  branches 
of  this  river.  Not  far  from  the  top  of  Mount  Wash- 
ington, in  every  direction  from  that  point,  are  found 
veins  of  white  and  rose-colored  quartz,  with  here  and 
there  fine  crystals  of  quartz ;  and  on  Mount  Franklin  have 
been  found  many  fine  specimens  of  crystallization.  In  or 
near  the  gateway  of  the  Notch  are  found  rare  amethystine 
crystals,  specimens  of  which  will  readily  sell  to  mineralo- 
gists for  five  dollars  each.  Tin  is  found  in  veins  on  some 
of  the  southern  spurs  of  these  mountains ;  in  the  valley 
of  Dry  River,  are  streams  so  impregnated  with  iron  that 
the  bushes  and  trees  along  their  shores  are  loaded  with  red 
rust ;  and  in  such  places  not  a  fish,  or  thing  of  animal  life, 
can  be  found.  Particles  of  lead,  with  specks  of  silver, 
are  found  on  a  branch  of  Peabody  river ;  but  so  far  noth- 
ing of  that  kind  has  been  found  sufficient  for  important 
notice.  As  yet,  there  are  many  deep  glens  and  wild  crags 
in  all  this  mighty  pile  of  mountains,  where  the  explorer 
has  never  left  the  print  of  his  feet  upon  the  moss.  With- 
out doubt  more  minerals  will  be  found  before  these  moun- 
tains are  perfectly  well  known. 


12  HISTORICAL   RELICS    OF 

SCIENTIFIC  MEASUREMENTS  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Rev.  D.  Cutler  twice  visited  the  Crystal  Hills,  in  the 
beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  took  barometrical 
observations,  by  which  he  calculates  the  highest  peak  to  be 
ten  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 

Dr.  Belknap,  in  his  famous  New  Hampshire  History,  is 
persuaded  by  his  observations,  that  the  computation  of  ten 
thousand  feet  as  the  height  of  the  Crystal  Hills  is  too 
moderate,  and  he  concludes  that  subsequent  calculations 
will  make  them  much  higher.  Mr.  Bowditch  published,  in 
the  transactions  of  the  American  Academy,  a  logarithmic 
calculation,  founded  on  Professor  Peck's  barometrical  ob- 
servations, giving  the  Crystal  Hills  an  elevation  of  seven 
thousand  and  fifty-five  feet.  Capt.  Partridge,  United 
States  engineer,  visited  these  mountains  in  1804,  and 
took  barometrical  observations  on  several  of  the  principal 
peaks.  His  calculations  give  to  the  highest  summit  an 
elevation  of  six  thousand  one  hundred  and  three  feet. 

July  2d,  1816,  a  mountain  barometer  of  Englefield's 
construction  stood,  on  the  highest  peak,  at  noon,  24.23, 
the  accompanying  thermometer  being  at  57.  Same  day, 
at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  similar  observations  were  taken ;  and 
a  logarithmic  calculation,  made  by  Professor  Farrar,  from 
the  data  thus  obtained,  resulted  in  establishing  six  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  above  the  waters 


THE   WHITE  MOUNTAINS.  13 

of  the  ocean  as  the  height  of  Mount  Washington.  A  geo- 
metrical admeasurement  taken  by  Professor  Shuttuck,  on 
the  north-west  side  of  the  mountain,  on  the  plain  near  the 
present  ruins  of  the  Fabyan  Stand,  gave  to  the  summit  an 
elevation  of  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet 
'above  the  level  of  the  sea.  William  Maclue,  author  of 
the  "  United  States  Geological  Map,"  made  geometrical 
admeasurements  on  both  sides  of  the  mountain ;  and  his 
conclusions  fixed  the  height  at  six  thousand  two  hundred 
and  sixty-six  feet.  In  1840,  C.  T.  Jackson,  geological 
surveyor  of  New  Hampshire,  by  means  of  barometrical 
and  thermometrical  observations,  made  for  a  period  of 
twelve  hours,  at  a  time  when  the  weather  was  remarkably 
favorable,  and  the  atmospheric  pressure  was  stationary 
throughout  the  state,  as  shown  by  other  observations  made 
at  the  same  time,  ascertained  the  height  of  Mount  Wash- 
ington to  be  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet 
above  high-water  mark  at  Portsmouth.  According  to  the 
Cincinnati  Times  of  Dec.  1st,  1853,  the  United  States 
coast  surveyors,  in  Aug.,  1853,  made,  by  calculation,  the 
summit  of  Mount  Washington  six  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  forty-three  feet  above  the  sea.  William  A.  Goodwin, 
Esq.,  one  of  the  engineers  of  the  Atlantic  and  St.  Lawrence 
rail  road,  by  a  survey  made  by  levelling  from  the  ocean  to 
the  top  of  Mount  Washington,  makes  the  height  of  that 
peak  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet.  Pro- 


14  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

fessor  Guyot,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  by  barometrical  ob- 
servations taken  at  the  same  time,  nearly  agrees  with 
Mr.  Goodwin's  survey.  This  is,  doubtless,  the  actual 
height  of  Mount  Washington.  In  1854,  Messrs.  Ricker 
and  Cavis,  chief  engineers  of  the  White  Mountain  car- 
riage-road, by  actual  survey,  made  the  height  six  thousand 
two  hundred  and  eighty-four  feet. 

HEIGHT  OF  WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 


Mt.  Washington,  6,285  ft. 

Mt.  Monroe, 

5,349  ft 

"    Adams,         5,790  " 

"    Franklin, 

4,850  « 

"    Jefferson,       5,710  " 

"    Pleasant, 

4,715  « 

"    Madison,       5,361  " 

"    Clinton, 

4,200  " 

"    Clay,             5,011  « 

PERPETUAL  CONGELATION. 

Many  suppose  that  in  the  darkest  and  most  shadowy 
gorges  of  these  mountains  snow  and  ice  may  be  found 
at  any  season  of  the  year.  This  is  a  mistaken  opinion ; 
for  it  can  be  satisfactorily  proved,  by  those  who  know, 
that  the  latest  appearance  of  old  snow,  for  several  yeara 
past,  has  been  in  Tuckerman's  Ravine,  as  late  as  Aug. 
20th.  This  ravine,  by  observation,  is  found  to  retain  its 
winter  burden  the  longest ;  and  being,  as  it  is,  fairly  ex- 
posed to  the  sun,  this,  unexplained,  appears  remarkable. 
The  northern  winds  of  our  extremely  cold  winters  pile 
there,  from  the  surrounding  summits,  a  good  share  of  the 


THE    WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  15 

snow  that  falls  on  them ;  and  there  is  but  little  doubt  that 
in  our  most  severe  seasons  for  wintry  storms,  the  snow- 
drift in  this  wild  gorge  is  a  hundred  feet  deep.  Much  has 
been  written  and  said  about  the  endless  snow-arch  and  per- 
petual snow-bank  of  Tuckerman's  Ravine,  by  those,  even, 
who,  with  the  light  of  science  around  them,  should  be 
aware  that  in  the  latitude  of  these  mountains  the  line  of 
perpetual  congelation  is,  by  scientific  observation,  found 
to  be  at  an  elevation  of  seven  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
seventy-two  feet  above  the  sea  level.  To  strengthen  the 
conclusion  that  the  snow  may  here  be  seen  in  piles  a  hun- 
dred feet  deep,  the  following  true  account  may  here  be 
noticed: 

DINING  UNDER  FORTY  FEET  OF  SNOW. 

The  water  that  runs  from  Tuckerman's  Ravine  passes 
under  the  great  snow-bank,  and,  with  the  warmth  of  sum- 
mer, wears  a  curious  channel.  July  16th,  1854,  D.  0. 
Macomber,  president  of  the  Mount  Washington  carriage- 
road,  and  Engineer  C.  H.  V.  Cavis,  of  that  road,  with  the 
author  of  these  pages,  dined  in  that  snow  arch.  It  was 
then  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  feet  long,  eighty-four 
feet  wide,  and  forty  feet  high,  by  measurement,  to  the 
snow  roof,  from  which  constantly  dripped  down  cold  ice- 
water  around  us.  A  heavy  thunder-shower,  while  there, 
passed  over  us,  and  after  the  shower  we  found  any 
3 


16  HISTORICAL  RELICS   OJ 

quantity  of  little  hardy  alpine  flowers,  fresh  and  fair, 
watered  by  the  water  from  the  great  bank. 

THE  VETERAN  PILOT. 

In  1792,  near  the  famous  "  Giant's  Grave,"*  lived  a 
solitary  pioneer  of  this  mountain  wilderness ;  and  a  rude 
cabin  of  logs,  covered  with  bark,  was  his  only  shelter.  This 
man  had  no  neighbor  nearer  than  twelve  miles,  and  naught 
but  a  rough  hunting-path,  marked  by  spotted  trees,  led 
thither  through  the  notch.  Wild  beasts  were  plenty  in  all 
this  mountain  region.  The  first  glowing  accounts  of  the 
early  hunters  scarcely  equalled  the  reality.  All  the  streams 
were  full  of  trouts.  Moose,  bears,  wolves  and  wild-cats, 
were  all  very  numerous  in  their  undisturbed  haunts,  within 
the  shadow  of  these  towering  crags,  where  the  Indian 
hunter  dared  not  leave  his  foot-marks.  The  name  of  this 
white  man,  who  here  lived  in  solitude,  was  Abel  Crawford 
—  the  one  who  in  after  years  most  justly  gained  the  title 
of  the  Veteran  Pilot.  He  was  the  first  guide  for  gentle- 
men strangers,  who  first  came  here  to  see  the  mountain 
scenery,  independent  of  any  scientific  purpose.  Let  the 
name  Crawford  live  with  this  mountain  memory !  The 
steps  of  the  old  Veteran  Pilot  were  among  those  gray  old 
cliffs,  and  dark,  shadowy  gorges,  when  log-cabins  were  the 
only  habitation  in  all  this  northern  wilderness.  Then  he 

*  A  well-known  mound  near  the  Fabyan  ruins  by  the  northern 
shore  of  the  Amonoosuc. 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  17 

dressed  in  the  tanned  skins  of  the  moose,  and  became  in 
the  chase  a  perfect  Nimrod  and  a  true  disciple  of  the 
famed  Izaak  Walton. 

FIRST  HOTEL. 

By  the  present  ruins  of  the  old  Fabyan  stand,  on  the 
westerly  end  of  the  "  Giant's  Grave,"  was  erected  the  first 
public  house  for  White  Mountain  visitors,  in  the  year 
1803.  A  record  of  this  fact  is  found  in  E.  A.  Crawford's 
journal,  page  twenty,  of  which  the  following  is  a  true 
extract :  "  My  grandfather  built  a  large  and  convenient 
two-story  dwelling  on  an  elevated  spot  (this  elevation  has 
since  been  named  Giant's  Grave).  This  house  had  two 
stories  under  ground.  From  the  chamber  over  this,  in 
the  second  story,  was  an  outside  door,  which  opened  so 
that  one  could  walk  out  on  this  fine  hill,  from  which,  to 
the  stranger,  the  view  was  beautiful." 

When  owned  by  E.  A.  Crawford,  in  the  year  1819, 
that  house  was  burned ;  and  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  this 
is  the  only  fine  locality  for  a -public  (White  Mountain) 
house,  in  full  view  from  the  tip-top  rock  of  Mount  Wash- 
ington ;  and  yet  here  three  public  houses  have  been  burned 
since  the  year  1805,  on  and  near  this  "  Giant's  Grave." 

INDIAN  PROPHECY  ON  GIANT'S  GRAVE. 

There  is  a  strange  tradition  extant,  of  an  Indian,  who, 
long  years  ago,  stood  on  that  mound,  with  a  blazing  pitch- 


18  HISTORICAL   RELICS  OF 

pine  torch,  lighted  at  a  tree  struck  by  lightning,  and, 
swinging  it  wildly  around  in  the  darkness,  he  said,  "  No 
pale-face  shall  take  deep  root  here  ;  this  the  Great  Spirit 
whispered  in  my  ear." 

THE  WHITE  MOUNTAIN  GIANT. 

The  name  of  E.  A.  Crawford  is  deeply  chiselled  upon 
the  rocks  of  this  gigantic  Mount  built  by  nature  (Mount 
Washington) ;  and  the  lady  who  shared  in  life  his  joys 
and  sorrows  has,  in  her  "White  Mountain  History," 
reared  a  testimonial  to  his  memory.  Will  not  my  humble 
tribute  of  a  stone,  laid  in  silence  upon  his  grave,  be 
accepted  by  all  who  pleasantly  cherish  the  remembrance  of 
"  Ethan  of  the  Hills,"  or  the  "  White  Mountain  Giant "  ? 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Guildhall,  Ver- 
mont, in  the  year  1792.  When  but  a  mere  lad  his  parents 
moved  to  the  White  Mountains,  and  here  he  grew  up  a 
giant  mountaineer,  illustrating  by  his  hardy  habits,  how 
daring  enterprise  and  pure  mountain  climate  nerve  the  man 
and  stamp  the  hero  upon  mortality.  Inheriting  the  house  on 
the  westerly  end  of  the  "  Giant's  Grave,"  with  an  encum- 
brance that  made  him  worse  than  destitute  of  all  worldly 
goods,  he  was  one  day  shocked,  when  returning  from 
hunting  on  the  hills,  to  see  his  home  burned  down,  and 
his  wife  and  infant  sheltered  only  by  an  open  shed. 
Twelve  miles  one  way,  and  six  the  other,  to  neighbors, 


THE   WHITE  MOUNTAINS.  19 

here  he  was  with  his  little  family  in  the  wilderness,  desti- 
tute of  every  comfort,  save  that  of  hope.  The  sunshine  of 
joy,  unclouded  by  sorrow,  and  the  warm  smiles  of  good 
fortune,  seem  ever  attendant  upon  the  lives  of  some,  con- 
stantly beckoning  their  favorites  forward  to  the  green 
fields  of  abundance,  and  bowers  of  pleasure  and  ease. 
Others,  perchance  born  under  a  less  favoring  star,  in  their 
growth  rise  up  like  giants,  breasting  manfully,  step  by 
step,  the  wrecking  storms  of  adversity,  and  by  their  own 
heroic  exertions,  hew  out  for  themselves  characters  deeply 
lined,  amid  the  black  shadows  of  sorrow  and  disappoint- 
ment. Of  such  a  mould  was  the  spirit  of  Ethan  A.  Craw- 
ford. The  inconveniences  of  poverty,  that  come  like  a 
strong  man  armed  upon  poor  mortality,  and  sickness 
and  the  many  hardships  linked  with  every-day  life  in  a 
new  settlement,  fell  to  this  man's  share.  Yet  he  cheer- 
fully performed  the  duties  of  life  with  an  iron  resolution, 
that  stood  misfortune's  shocks  as  firmly  as  his  own  moun- 
tains stand  storms  and  the  changes  of  time.  He  was  a 
tall,  finely-proportioned  man;  and,  though  called  by  many 
the  "  White  Mountain  Giant,"  beneath  the  rough  exterior 
of  the  hardy  mountaineer  glowed  constantly,  in  a  heroic 
heart,  the  warm  fire  of  love  and  manly  virtue.  The  art- 
less prattle  of  his  little  children  was  sweet  music  to  his 
spirit,  and  his  ambitious  aspirations  were  constantly 
invigorated  by  social  comfort  with  his  little  family. 
3* 


20  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

CARRYING  THE  KETTLE  AND  DEER. 

The  first  display  of  Ethan's  giant  strength  recorded  ia 
of  his  carrying  on  his  head,  across  the  Amonoosuc  river,  a 
potash-kettle,  weighing  four  hundred  pounds. 

In  1821  he  caught  a  full-grown  deer,  in  a  wild  gorge, 
four  miles  from  home ;  and  as  the  trap  had  not  broken  his 
leg,  and  he  appeared  quite  gentle,  he  thought  to  lead  him 
home.  Failing  in  his  attempt  to  do  this,  he  shouldered 
him  and  trudged  homeward,  over  hill  and  through  tangled 
brushwood,  feeling  by  the  way,  perchance,  like  Crusoe, 
with  his  lamas,  how  fine  it  would  be  to  have  a  park  and 
many  deer  to  show  his  visitors.  But  his  day-visions  van- 
ished ;  for,  on  arriving  at  home,  he  found  the  deer  so  much 
injured  that  he  died. 

At  another  time,  he  cauyht  a  unld  mountain-buck  in  a 
snare ;  and,  finding  him  too  heavy  to  shoulder,  he  made 
him  a  halter  of  withes,  and  succeeded  in  halter-leading 
him  so  completely,  that,  after  nearly  a  day  spent  in  the 
attempt,  he  arrived  at  home  with  his  prize,  much  to  the 
wonder  of  all. 

THE  GIANT  LUGGING  THE  OLD  BEAR. 

In  1829  Ethan  caught  a  good-sized  bear  in  a  trap  ; 
and  thought  to  bind  him  with  withes,  and  lead  him  home 
as  he  had  the  buck.  In  attempting  to  do  this,  the  bear 
would  catch  with  his  paws  at  the  trees ;  and  our  hero, 


THE   WHITE  MOUNTAINS.  21 

not  willing  to  be  outwitted  by  a  bear,  managed  to  get  him 
on  his  shoulder,  and,  with  one  hand  firmly  hold  of  his  nose, 
carried  him  two  miles  homeward.  The  bear,  not  well  sat- 
isfied with  his  prospects,  entered  into  a  serious  engage- 
ment with  his  captor,  and  by  scratching  and  biting  suc- 
ceeded in  tearing  off  his  vest  and  one  pantaloon-leg,  so 
that  Ethan  laid  him  down  so  hard  upon  the  rocks  that  he 
died.  That  fall  he  caught  ten  bears  in  that  same  wild 
glen. 

The  first  bear  kept  at  the  White  Mountains  for  a  show 
was  caught  by  Ethan,  while  returning  from  the  Mountain 
with  two  young  gentlemen  he  had  been  up  with  as  guide. 
Seeing  a  small  bear  cross  their  path,  they  followed  him 
to  a  tree,  which  he  climbed.  Ethan  climbed  after, 
and,  succeeding  in  getting  him,  tied  his  mouth  up  with 
a  handkerchief,  and  backed  him  home.  This  bear  he 
provided  with  a  trough  of  water,  a  strap  and  pole ;  and 
here  he  was  for  a  long  time  kept,  as  the  first  tame  bear  of 
the  mountains.  This  was  about  the  year  1829. 

Ethan  caught  a  wild-cat  unth  a  birch  vrithe !  Once, 
when  passing  down  the  Notch,  he  was  attracted  to  a  tree 
by  the  barking  of  his  dog,  where,  up  among  the  thick 
branches,  he  discovered  a  full-grown  wild-cat.  Having 
only  a  small  hatchet  with  him,  he  cut  two  long  birch 
withes,  and,  twisting  them  well  together,  made  a  slip- 
noose,  which  he  run  up  through  the  thick  leaves ;  and 


22  HISTORICAL  RELICS  OF 

while  the  cat  was  watching  the  dog,  he  managed  to  get 
this  noose  over  his  head,  and,  with  a  sudden  jerk,  brought 
him  to  the  ground.  His  dog  instantly  seized  him,  but 
was  willing  to  beat  a  retreat  till  reinforced  by  his  master, 
who  with  a  heavy  club  came  to  the  rescue.  The  skin  of 
this  cat,  when  stretched,  measured  over  six  feet. 

Ethan's  two  close  shots  are  worthy  of  note.  One  fall, 
while  setting  a  sable  line,  about  two  miles  back  of  the 
Notch,  he  discovered  a  little  lake,  set,  like  a  diamond,  in 
a  rough  frame-work  of  beetling  crags.  The  fresh  signs  of 
moose  near,  and  trouts  seen  in  its  shining  waters,  was 
sufficient  inducement  to  spend  a  night  by  its  shady  shore. 
About  sunset,  while  engaged  in  catching  a  string  of  trouts, 
his  attention  was  suddenly  arrested  by  a  loud  splashing  in 
the  still  water  around  a  rocky  point,  where,  on  looking, 
he  saw  two  large  brown  moose  pulling  up  lily-roots,  and 
fighting  the  flies.  Prepared  with  an  extra  charge,  he 
fired ;  and  before  the  first  report  died  in  echoes  among  the 
peaks,  the  second  followed,  and  both  moose  fell  dead  in 
the  lake.  Ethan  labored  hard  to  drag  his  game  ashore ; 
but  late  that  evening  bright  visions  of  marrow-bones  and 
broiled  trouts  flitted  like  realities  around  him.  That 
night  a  doleful  dirge  rose  in  that  wild  gorge ;  but  our 
hero  slept  soundly,  between  two  warm  moose-skins.  He 
cared  not  for  the  -wild  wolves  that  scented  the  taint  of  the 
fresh  blood  in  the  wind.  That  little  mountain  sheet  is 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  23 

now,  from  the  above  circumstance,  known  as  "  Ethan's 
Pond." 

Ethan  was  always  proud  to  speak  of  how  he  carried  a 
lady  two  miles  down  t/te  mountain  on  his  shoulders.  It 
was  no  uncommon  affair  for  him  to  shoulder  a  man  and 
lug  him  down  the  mountain ;  but  his  more  delicate 
attempts  to  pack  a  young  lady  down  the  steep  rocks,  he 
seemed  to  regard  as  an  important  incident  in  his  adven- 
turous career.  Miss  E.  Woodward  was  the  name  of  the 
lady  who  received  from  the  Mountain  Giant  such  marked 
attention.  By  a  wrong  step  she  became  very  lame,  and 
placing,  as  well  as  he  could,  a  cushion  of  coats  upon  his 
right  shoulder,  the  lady  became  well  sealed,  and  he 
thus  brought  her  down  to  where  they  left  their  horses. 

By  Adino  N.  Brackett's  Journal,  published  in  Moore's 
His.  Col.,  vol.  1st,  page  97,  it  appears  that  Adino  N. 
Brackett,  John  W.  Weeks,  Gen.  John  Willson,  Charles  J. 
Stuart,  Esq.,  Noyes  S.  Dennison,  and  Samuel  A.  Pearson, 
Esq.,  from  Lancaster,  N.  H.,  with  Philip  Carrigan  and  E. 
A.  Crawford,  went  up,  July  31st,  1820,  to  name  the  dif- 
ferent summits.  Gen.  John  Willson,  of  Boston,  is  now, 
1855,  the  only  survivor  of  that  party.  "They  made 
Ethan  their  pilot,  and  loaded  him  with  provisions  and 
blankets,  like  a  pack-horse ;  and  then,  as  they  began  to 
ascend,  they  piled  on  top  of  his  load  their  coats." 
This  party  had  a  fine  time ;  and,  after  giving  the  names 
of  our  sages  to  the  different  peaks,  according  to  their  alti- 


24  HISTORICAL   RET.TCS  OF 

tilde,  they  drank  health  to  these  hoary  cliffs,  in  honor  tc 
the  illustrious  men  whose  names  they  were,  from  this  date, 
to  bear ;  then,  curled  down  among  the  rocks,  without  fire, 
on  the  highest  crag,  they  doubtless  spent  the  first  night 
mortals  ever  spent  on  that  elevated  place.  In  the  morn- 
ing, after  seeing  the  sun  rise  out  of  the  ocean  far,  far 
below  them,  they  descended  westerly  from  the  apex  about 
a  mile,  and  came  to  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  (Lake  of 
the  Clouds),  near  a  ridge  of  rocks,  which,  when  they  left, 
they  named  "Blue  Pond"  It  doubtless  looked  blue  to 
them ;  for  something  they  carried  in  bottles  so  weakened 
the  limbs  of  one  of  the  party  that  Ethan  was,  from  this 
place,  burdened  with  a  back-load  of  mortality,  weighing 
two  hundred  pounds,  down  to  the  Amonoosuc  valley.  Thus 
we  find  Ethan  most  emphatically  the  "  Giant  of  the  Moun- 
tains" He  never  hesitated  to  encounter  any  danger  that 
appeared  in  his  path,  whether  from  wild  beasts,  flood,  or 
mountain  tempest. 

The  First  Bridle-path  on  the  White  Mountains  was 
made  in  1819.  As  there  had  got  to  be  ten  or  twelve 
visitors  a  year,  to  see  these  mountains,  at  this  date,  Ethan 
thought,  to  accommodate  his  company,  he  would  cut  a  path 
as  far  as  the  region  of  scrub  vegetation  extended.  It  had 
been  very  difficult  to  go  without  a  road,  clambering  over 
trees,  up  steep  ledges,  through  streams,  and  over  the  hedgy 
scrub-growth ;  and  accordingly,  when  the  fact  of  a  path  being 


THE   WHITE    MOUNTAINS.  25 

made  was  published,  the  fame  of  this  region  spread  lite 
wild-fire.  This  path  was  started  at  the  head  of  the  notch 
near  Gibbs'  House,  and,  extending  to  the  top  of  Mount 
Clinton,  reached  from  thence  to  the  top  of  Mount  Wash- 
ington, nearly  where  Gibbs'  Path  now  is.  Soon  after  the 
completion  of  this  path,  the  necessity  of  a  cabin,  where 
visitors  could  stop  through  the  night,  was  perceivable  by 
Ethan ;  and  accordingly  he  built  a  stone  cabin,  near  the 
top  of  Mount  Washington,  by  a  spring  of  water  that  lives 
there,  and  spread  in  it  an  abundance  of  soft  moss  for  beds, 
that  those  who  wished  to  stop  here  through  the  night,  to 
see  the  sun  set  and  rise,  might  be  accommodated.  This 
rude  home  for  the  traveller  was  soon  improved,  and  fur- 
nished with  a  small  stove,  an  iron  chest,  and  a  long  roll  of 
sheet-lead ;  —  the  chest  was  to  secure  from  the  bears  and 
hedge-hogs  the  camping-blankets ;  and,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, around  that  old  chest  many  who  hungered  have  en- 
joyed a  hearty  repast.  That  roll  of  lead  was  for  visitors 
to  engrave  their  names  on  with  a  sharp  iron.  Alas!  that 
tale-telling  sheet  has  been  moulded  into  bullets,  and  that 
old  chest  was  buried  by  an  avalanche.  How  all  things 
pass  away ! 

In  1821  the  first  ladies  visited  Mount  Washington. 
This  party,  of  which  these  ladies  numbered  three,  had 
Ethan  for  its  guide,  and,  proceeding  to  the  stone  cabin, 
waited  there  through  a  storm  for  several  days,  that  they 


26  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

might  be  the  first  females  to  accomplish  the  unrecorded 
feat  of  ascending  Mount  Washington.  This  heroic  little 
party  was  the  Misses  Austin,  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  being 
accompanied  by  their  brother  and  an  Esq.  Stuart,  of 
Lancaster.  Everything  was  managed  as  much  for  their 
comfort  as  possible ;  the  little  stone  cabin  was  provided 
with  an  outside  addition,  in  which  the  gentlemen  staid, 
that  their  companions  might  be  more  retired  and  comfort- 
able. This  party  came  near  being  what  the  sailor  might 
call  "  weather-bound."  They  were  obliged  to  send  back 
for  more  provisions;  and  at  last  the  severe  mountain- 
storm  passed  away,  and  that  for  which  they  had  ambi- 
tiously endured  so  much  exposure  was  granted  them. 
They  went  to  the  top,  had  a  fine  prospect,  and,  after  an 
absence  of  five  days,  returned  from  the  mountains,  in  fine 
spirits,  highly  gratified  with  their  adventure.  This  heroic 
act  should  confer  an  honor  upon  the  names  of  this  pioneer 
party,  as  everything  was  managed  with  so  much  prudence 
and  modesty  that  there  was  not  left  even  a  shadow  for  re- 
proach, save  by  those  who  felt  themselves  outdone ;  so  says 
record. 

In  the  summer  of  1840  the  first  horse  that  ever  climbed 
the  rocks  of  Mount  Washington  was  rode  up  by  old  Abel 
Crawford.  The  old  man  was  then  seventy-five  years  old, 
and,  though  his  head  was  whitened  by  the  snows  of  many 
winters,  his  blood  was  stirred,  on  that  occasion,  by  the 


THE    WHITE    MOUNTAINS.  27 

ambitious  animation  of  more  youthful  days.  There  he 
sat  proudly  upon  his  noble  horse,  with  uncovered  head, 
and  the  wind  played  lightly  with  his  venerable  white 
locks.  Truly  that  was  a  picture  worthy  an  artist's  skill. 
Holding  that  horse  by  the  rein,  there  stood  his  son  Ethan, 
as  guide  to  his  old  father.  The  son  and  the  parent !  — 
worthy  representatives  of  the  mighty  monument,  to  the  re- 
membrance of  which,  their  pioneer  exertions  have  added 
fadeless  fame.  From  that  day  a  new  era  dawned  on  these 
mountains.  Forget  not  the  veteran  Abel,  and  Ethan  "  the 
White  Mountain  Giant" 

The  White  Mountain  Guides  should  all  be  remembered. 
In  our  lengthy  notice  of  Ethan,  the  White  Mountain 
Giant,  we  do  not  mean  to  eclipse  the  worthy  deeds  of 
other  noble  mountain  spirits,  who  have  followed  his  old 
path,  and  even  made  new  ones  for  their  own  feet.  This 
mountain  region  is  truly  haunted,  as  it  were,  by  peculiar 
influences,  that  call  to  its  attractions  as  dauntless  men  for 
guides  as  our  New  England  mountain-land  can  boast. 
Ethan  A.  Crawford  came  here  when  this  was  a  wilder- 
ness-land, unknown  to  fame.  The  fashionable  world  knew 
nothing  of  its  peculiarities.  He  spent  much  time,  even 
the  energies  of  his  life,  exploring  the  wild  gorges  and  dan- 
gerous peaks  of  the  mountains,  and  became  a  mighty 
hunter.  He  was,  in  fact,  the  bold  pioneer  who,  with  his 
old  father,  opened  the  way  whereby  the  "  Crystal  Hills  " 
4 


28  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OP 

became  known  to  the  world.  "  Honor  to  whom  honor  is 
due ! "  Then  let  us  not  be  unmindful  of  Ethan,  who 
grappled  with  nature  in  her  wildness,  and  made  gigantic 
difficulties  surmountable ;  and  let  us  remember  the  names 
"Tom  Crawford,"  "Hartford,"  "Hall,"  "Cogswell;" 
"Dana, and  Lucius  M.  Rosebrook,"  "Leavitt,"  "Hayes," 
and  others,  who  have  followed  piloting  for  a  series  of  years 
on  these  mountains.  These  aj:e  all  men  in  whose  hands 
the  tourist  was  comparatively  safe ;  and,  though  the  most 
of  the  above  names  are  with  the  past,  others  are  on  the 
stage,  who  have  an  ambitious  desire  to  outdo,  even,  in 
skill  and  management,  those  whose  footsteps  they  follow. 
We  will  not  praise  the  living  guides  of  the  White  Moun- 
tains; their  actions  speak  monuments  of  honor  to  their 
own  names.  Have  confidence  in  their  integrity ;  and  may 
they  never  betray  their  trust ! 

TRADITIONS  OF  SILVER  AND  GOLD. 

From  an  ancient  record,  in  manuscript,  found  in  an  old, 
worm-eaten  chest,  among  files  of  papers  relating  to  the 
early  exploration  and  survey  of  the  northern  wilderness, 
appears  the  following : 

"  Espying  what  could  be  found  in  this  wild  country,  as 
we  came  to  the  shadow  of  this  exceeding  great  mountain, 
we  drew  near  to  a  little  lake  among  high  rocks.  Here 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  29 

we  still  hunted  a  moose,  and,  kindling  a  fire  of  pine  knots, 
enjoyed  a  great  feast.  Game  was  thick  here;  and  we 
could  as  easily  count  the  sand  as  the  spotted  fish  in  the 
stream.  By  this  water  we  discovered  a  pine  log,  much 
decayed,  with  fire-marks  on  the  ends,  and  the  middle  was 
burned  out  like  as  if  a  fire  had  been  kindled  on  it  to  make 
it  a  rude  canoe.  We  found  good  store  of  curious  stones, 
that  we  esteemed  to  be  diamonds  (crystal  quartz).  At 
the  foot  of  a  high  rock,  near  the  water,  we  picked  up  cer- 
tain leaves  of  fine  silver  and  gold  as  thick  as  a  man's  nail ; 
and  we  found  all  the  little  mountain  streams  shining  with 
particles  of  silver,  with  many  shining  bits  in  the  rocks. 
After  many  days  of  toilsome  travel,  we  returned  from  this 
wonderful  mountain,  with  bloody,  bare  feet,  and  got  of  the 
Indians  moccasins,  made  of  raw  moose-hide.  We  found 
rude  wigwams,  made  of  poles  stuck  in  the  ground,  with 
birch-bark  spread  over.  Around  these  hunting  places 
were  many  horns  of  moose,  and  piles  of  bones,  eagle-claws 
and  bear-skins,  which  made  us  liken  these  great  valleys 
among  the  hills  to  the  home  of  many  wild  beasts.  No 
man,  among  all  the  wild  men  we  met,  dared  go  up  to  the 
high,  naked  rock,  for  fear  the  '  Great  Master  of  Life ' 
would  destroy  them.  In  a  black  storm  of  rain  that  fell 
there,  the  mountain  trembled,  and  the  rocks  were  like 
altars  burning  with  fire.  From  a  peak  of  bare  rocks  we 
saw  the  wide  land  of  the  Iroquois  Indians,  with  the  great 


30  HISTORIC  A  r,   UEUOS    OK 

valley  of  the  long  Canada  river.  Lakes,  high  hills,  and 
deep  valleys,  where  wild  men  hunt  elks,  moose  and  bears, 
were  around  us.  It  is  a  terrible  wilderness  of  mountains 
and  game."  —  Old  Manuscript. 

TRADITION  OF  CARBUNCLES. 

Some  of  the  early  explorers  of  these  mountains  with 
great  solemnity  affirmed  that  they  saw,  hanging  from  the 
crags,  great  carbuncles,  whose  brilliancy  was  glorious  to 
behold.  This  report  attracted  the  attention  of  adventur- 
ers ;  and  several  exploring  parties  have  visited  these  moun- 
tains, with  the  hope  of  finding  rich  and  rare  gems  of  great 
value ;  but,  though  various  attempts  have  been  made  to 
gain  possession  of  these  wonders,  none  have  yet  been  ob- 
tained. It  is  recorded  that  some  of  these  carbuncle  hunt- 
ers have  taken  with  them  spiritual  advisers  to  "  lay  "  or 
"  exorcise "  the  supernatural  guardians  of  the  mountain 
wealth ;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  In  an  old  White  Mountain 
record  is  found  a  journal  of  a  carbuncle  seeker :  —  "  Hear- 
ing that  a  glorious  carbuncle  had  been  found  under  a  large 
shelving  rock,  difficult  to  obtain,  placed  there  by  the  In- 
dians who  killed  one  of  their  number,  that  an  evil  spirit 
might  haunt  the  place,  we  went  up  Dry  river,  with  guides, 
and  had  with  us  a  good  man  to  lay  the  evil  spirit ;  but 
returned  sorely  bruised,  treasureless,  and  not  even  saw  that 
loonderful  sight."  Recently  no  mention  has  been  made 


THE    WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  31 

of  wonderful  carbuncles ;  and  there  is  a  tradition  that  an 
old  Indian  pronounced  a  curse,  called  "  the  red  marts 
curse"  upon  the  pale-faced  gem-seekers;  and  when  he 
died  his  last  wish  was  (to  save  his  spirit  the  trouble  of 
keeping  the  mountain-treasure  from  the  white  man's  pol- 
luting touch,  by  enchantment),  that  the  Great  Spirit  would 
send  a  black  storm  of  fire  and  thunder,  and  splinter  the 
crags,  and  roll  down  the  carbuncles  with  mighty  ava- 
lanches, and  bury  them  deeply  in  the  valleys,  beneath  the 
ruins  of  rocks  and  trees. 

THE  INDIAN  GHOST. 

There  are  those  now  living  in  the  shadow  of  these 
mountains  who  seem  to  believe  that,  every  "  fall  of  the 
leaf,"  on  a  certain  night,  a  supernatural  brightness  glows 
upon  a  particular  crag,  and  the  giant  ghost  of  an  Indian 
warrior,  fancifully  arrayed  in  a  black  bear-skin  war-robe, 
with  a  bloody  stone  tomahawk,  and  a  broken  horn-beam 
bow,  may  be  seen  dancing  in  the  wind,  by  the  light,  to  the 
measure  of  his  self-sang  dirge.  At  such  times  the  snow 
disappears  from  off  the  rocks  around ;  but  no  mountaineer 
has  ever  been  found  capable  of  climbing  the  ice-crags,  t5 
satisfy  the  curiosity  whether  or  not  fire-marks  may  at 
such  times  be  found. 

LOST  SPIRITS'  LOOKING-GLASSES. 

If  a  humble  addition  may  here  be  allowed,  might  not 

4*      ' 


32  HISTORICAL    HEI.IOS    OK 

these  'wonderful  carbuncles  have  been  merely  rocks  seen  at 
a  distance,  covered  with  water  or  ice,  with  the  sunlight 
reflected  to  favor  the  delusion  ?  Or,  if  we  need  a  tincture 
of  the  miraculous,  perchance  some  of  Darby  Field's  Mus- 
covy glass  was  so  arranged  by  the  mountain  genii,  as  to 
answer  for  looking-glasses,  in  which  lost  Indian  spirits 
might  see  themselves.  But  even  this  isinglass,  of  such 
size,  cannot  be  found,  for  a  wonder.  Has  not  the  brother 
of  the  speculative  Yankee  who  attempted  to  whittle  the 
north  pole  up  for  tooth-picks,  spirited  this  even  away, 
that  it  might  be  devoted  to  mechanical  purposes  by  the 
utilitarian  age  ?  Speak,  ye  who  can  say ! 

ROGERS  AND  HIS  RANGERS. 

The  night  of  October  3d,  1765,  the  St.  Francis  Indians, 
at  their  village  on  the  bank  of  the  river  for  which  their 
tribe  was  named,  held  a  grand  war-dance.  Fair  maidens 
and  brave  young  warriors  were  there,  with  light  hearts ; 
and  wildly  in  the  night  rose  their  triumph-song,  as  they 
swung  in  air  the  scalp-locks  of  a  hundred  pale-facss.  They 
dreamed  not  that  a  spy  was  in.  their  ring,  and  that  ere 
another  sun  the  three  pale-faced  captives,  who  sorrowfully 
listened  to  their  barbaric  jubilee,  would  wade  through 
their  warm  blood,  and  be  far  on  the  long  trail  over  the 
mountains. 

llobert  llogers,  dispatched,  with  two  hundred  (some  his- 
iorians  say  five  hundred)  tried  rangers,  through  the  long 


THE    WHITE    MOUNTAINS.  OO 

wilderness,  to  chastise  these  Indians  lor  that  in  celebration 
of  which  they  this  night  held  the  great  dance,  was  there ; 
and  when  daylight  returned,  their  village  was  in  "ashes, 
and  hundreds  slept  the  sleep  of  death.  Belknap,  in  his 
New  Hampshire  History,  says:  "The  houses  of  these 
Indians  were  well  furnished,  and  their  church  was  richly 
adorned  with  plate."  Two  hundred  guineas,  with  a  silver 
image  weighing  eight  pounds,  and  a  great  quantity  of  rich 
wampum,  were  taken  from  this  church  as  lawful  plunder. 
Satisfied  with  his  work,  llogers  made  his  retreat  up  the 
St.  Francis  river,  intending  with  his  men  to  pass  the  carry- 
ing-place to  Magog  Lake,  thence  home  to  the  south  part 
of  Laconia:  (N.  H.).  The  snow  came  on  deep,  and,  being 
pursued  by  the  remnant  left  after  the  destruction  of  that 
Indian  village,  several  of  their  number  were  killed ;  and, 
after  wandering  many  days,  they  became  scattered,  and 
.  many  perished  by  hunger  and  cold.  The  early  settlers 
of  Cohos  (Coos)  found  relics  of  this  ill-fated  party,  and 
later,  among  the  White  Mountains  sad  vestiges  arise  in 
the  twilight  of  tradition ;  and,  faithful  to  the  living  history 
of  this  famous  mountain,  they  shall  have  record. 

SILVER  IMAGE,  WAMPUM,  AND  MONEY. 

In  the  retreat  and  pursuit  following  the  result  of  Rogers' 

expedition   most  of  the   rangers  followed  their   leader's 

command,  while  small  detached  parties,  throwing  off  all 

martial  restraint,  made  independent  homeward  trails  for 


34  HISTORICAL    RELICS   OP 

themselves.  One  small  party  of  nine,  leaving  the  waters 
running  northward,  passed  the  highlands,  and  came  upon 
a  stream  that  evidently  fell  into  the  Connecticut.  Here 
they  resolved  to  strike  that  river  at  the  head  of  the  falls 
(now  called  Fifteen  MilSs  Falls),  southerly  of  Upper  Cohos, 
and,  following  up  the  stream  (John's  river)  that  came  from 
the  "  Crystal  Hills,"  pass  over  to  the  valley  of  the  Amo- 
noosuc,  and  through  the  Notch,  homeward.  This  party 
had*expected  to  meet  a  detachment  on  the  Connecticut, 
from  old  No.  4  (now  Charleston  N.  H.),  with  supplies ; 
and,  being  disappointed  in  this,  in  a  most  travel-worn 
and  destitute  condition,  after  waiting  several  days  they 
yielded  to  the  guidance  of  an  Indian  runner,  who  offered 
to  conduct  them  to  the  great  pass  of  the  "  Crystal  Hills." 
They  did  not  dream  that  this  Indian  was  acting  false,  by 
knowing  the  prophecy  of  the  gray-headed  old  Indian,  who 
in  the  St.  Francis  church  said  to  the  plunderers  of  the 
treasure  there,  "  The  Great  Spirit  will  scatter  darkness 
upon  the  path  of  the  pale-faces ! "  How  literally  this 
prophecy  was  fulfilled,  the  end  shows  more  clearly  than 
facts  seen  in  the  mist  of  dreams.  This  Indian  guide  led 
his  charge  up  the  Connecticut  to  the  mouth  of  the  next 
river,  which  he  called  Singrawack,*  and  from  thence  they 

*  This  name  signifies  "Foamy  Stream  of  THE  WHITE  ROCK." 
In  memory  of  a  great  hunter,  Israel  Stark,  who  long  ago  hunted 
in  the  valley  of  this  stream,  it  has  been  called  "  Israel's  river." 


TUB   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  35 

followed  up  to  near  the  foot  of  the  White  Mountains,  where 
he  left  them.  This  little  party  had  in  charge  the  plunder 
taken  from  the  Indian  church,  and  to  him  who  bore  the 
treasure,  the  Indian  gave  a  rude  birch-bark  map,  descrip- 
tive of  their  route  thence.  The  reason  given  by  the  Indian 
guide  for  going  no  further  was  pretended  fear  that  the 
Great  Spirit  would  kill  him,  if  he  left  his  footprints  in  the 
shadow  of  the  great  snowy  Agiochook.  The  ranger  who 
received  the  birch  map  did  not  notice  an  apparently 
accidental  scratch  given  him  on  the  back  of  his  hand  by 
the  guide  on  the  receipt  of  the  map ;  but  when  his  hand 
began  to  swell,  suspicion  rested  upon  the  false  guide. 
Symptoms  of  poison  became  strikingly  apparent,  and  the 
increasing  inflammation  gave  speed  to  his  blood,  and  fear 
mingled  with  pain  pressed  madness  into  his  brain,  and 
with  frightful  shrieks  of  rage  he  rushed  to  a  high  rock, 
and,  throwing  himself  down,  was  dashed  to  pieces.  The 
gloom  of  death  in  their  midst,  combined  with  the  startling 
circumstances,  was  like  a  black  night-shadow  upon  the 
future  prospects  of  this  little  party ;  and,  holding  a  brief 
council,  the  decision  was  that  their  companion  came  to  his 
death  by  a  slight  wound  of  a  rattlesnake's  fang,  designed 
by  their  Indian  guide.  With  the  remembrance  of  the 

This  river  turns  the  machinery  of  the  thriving  village  of  Lancas- 
ter, as  it  passes  through,  on  its  foaming  track  to  the  broad  Connect- 
icut, with  which  it  mingles  a  mile  below  Lancaster  village. 


36  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

Indian  prophecy  fresh  in  mind,  they  resolved  to  bury  the 
mangled  remains  of  their  mate,  with  his  knapsack  contain- 
ing the  stolen  treasure,  carefully  in  a  rude  cave,  where  the 
red  hunter  dared  not  leave  his  footmarks. 

According  to  old  tradition,  of  that  party  of  nine  but  one 
ever  reached  the  settlement  below  the  mountains.  Being 
misled  by  their  false  guide,  they  miscalculated  as  to  the 
certainty  of  passing  down  the  mountain  notch ;  and,  being 
the  distance  of  two  river  valleys  to  the  northward  of  the 
point  from  which  they  might  have  passed  through  safely, 
they  wandered  many  days  in  vain  attempt  to  attain  their 
object,  and,  after  extreme  suffering  from  hunger,  and  the 
rigorous  storms  of  approaching  winter,  one  only  arrived  to 
tell  the  sad  story  of  misery  and  death.  This  ragged  and 
forlorn-looking  mortal  had  with  him  six  knives,  and  in  his 
bloody  knapsack  was  a  piece  of  human  flesh,  of  which  for 
the  last  eight  days  he  declared  he  had  eaten  to  support  the 
flickering  spark  of  life  that  now  but  faintly  burned  within 
him. 

RANGERS'  RELICS  FOUND. 

When  the  early  hunters  came  to  the  valley  of  the  Cohos 
(meadow  of  pines),  on  a  pine-tree  standing  up  in  a  wild 
gorge,  on  what  the  Indians  called  Singrawack,  was  a  bark- 
less  spot,  whereon  was  a  curious  mingling  of  storm-worn 


THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS.  37 

hieroglyphical  characters.  Near  this  was  found  the 
remains  of  a  military  dress  —  rusty  buttons,  &c.,  with  a 
gun-barrel,  lock,  rotten  stock,  and  a  small  copper  kettle. 
In  another  place,  while  digging  away  the  rubbish  at  the 
foot  of  a  steep  bank  near  which  a  block-house  had  lately 
been  erected,  in  place  of  an  expected  spring  of  water 
were  found  six  old  gun-barrels,  and  what  appeared  to  be 
a  pile  of  knapsacks,  containing  a  quantity  of  frogs  and 
fish-bones.  A  certain  old  hunter,  by  the  delusive  influence 
of  three  similar  dreams,  fancied  that  he  should  become 
wealthy  by  untiring  search  for  precious  treasures  among 
the  White  Hills.  One  day,  while  engaged  in  his  exploring 
operations,  a  terrible  mountain  storm  obliged  him  to  seek 
shelter  under  an  overhanging  cliff.  While  there  he  noticed, 
back  in  a  dark  corner,  among  the  shadows  of  this  rude 
cave,  several  flat  stones  piled  up  in  a  manner  too  curious 
to  be  natural.  On  examination  under  this  pile,  he  found 
a  rusty  old  hatehet,  and  a  roll  of  birch-bark,  neatly 
encased  in  wild-bees'  wax.  A  disagreeable  stench  rose 
from  the  damp  mould  within  the  crevice  wherein  these 
relics  were  secured,  and  a  silent  fear  of  he  knew  not  what 
caused  the  old  hunter  to  instinctively  withdraw  from 
further  examination.  Within  the  birch-bark  roll  he  found 
a  parchment,  formed  of  an  Indian-tanned  fawn-skin,  on 
which  were  written  many  characters,  which  to  the  unlet- 
tered hunter  were  mysterious.  He  carried  his  unaccount- 


38  HISTORICAL    RELICS    OK 

able  prize  to  the  nearest  settlement,  and,  being  void  of  all 
antiquarian  spirit,  sold  it  to  a  distiller  of  spirits  for  two 
quarts  of  potato-whiskey.  Here  the  mysterious  manu- 
script disappeared,  and  by  many  it  is  believed  to  have 
been  burned  with  the  whiskey-shop  in  1804.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  the  old  hunter  now  fancied  he  could  lead  a  party  of 
treasure-seekers  to  the  hiding-place  of  the  silver  image, 
and  other  treasure  supposed  to  be  there  somewhere,  in 
sacred  keeping  of  the  mountain  genii.  Ere  we  proceed  to 
notice  the  party  in  search  for  the  secrets  of  the  mountain 
cave,  we  will  note  other  wild  traditions,  that  stalk  before 
us  like  gigantic  shadows,  speaking  from  the  past,  saying, 
"  W7iether  false  or  true,  time-honored  fictions,  in  this 
imaginative  age,  are  as  much  of  a  legal  tender  for  the  liter- 
ary world,  as  dry  modern  facts.'" 

STRANGE  SIGHTS  SEEN. 

Years  previous  to  a  settlement  near  these  mountains,  a 
hunter  brought  from  thence  what  was  considered  by  many 
a  vague  report  of  a  strange  vision  seen.  He  was  alone, 
and  what  part  imagination  had  to  do  with  what  he  fancied 
to  be  true,  judge  yc  who  please.  He  was  camping  far  up 
among  the  White  Hills,  on  a  stream  called  by  the  natives 
"  Singrawack,"  one  night,  when  his  camp-fire  burned  low, 
and  a  dreamy  restlessness  mocked  his  desire  to  enjoy 
profound  sleep ;  and  to  his  sight,  on  a  background  of  deep 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  oil 

blue  sky,  arose  the  craggy  mountain,  enlivened  by  the 
magic  splendor  of  a  moonlit  night.  The  mountain's 
northern  side  was  hid  in  its  own  dark  shadow;  but  silvery 
moonbeams  were  glittering  upon  its  pointed  rock,  and 
around  its  top  hung  a  still,  thick  mist.  Above  the  mur- 
muring of  mountain  waterfalls  rose  a  strange  noise 
indistinctly ;  but,  being  of  a  stout  heart,  he  heeded  it 
not,  save  as  the  ominous  hoot  of  some  solitary  owl,  or  the 
lone  howl  of  a  hungry  wolf,  giving  zest  to  his  hopeless 
employment  by  keeping  up  his  spirits  with  a  rude  sere- 
nade for  the  moonlit  night.  The  hunter's  nerves  were 
like  steel,  but  a  fanciful  influence  changed  the  mist  to  a 
great  stone  church,  and  within  this  was  an  altar,  where 
from  a  sparkling  censer  rose  a  curling  wreath  of  incense- 
smoke,  and  around  it  lights  dispersed  a  mellow  glow,  by 
which  in  groups  before  that  altar  appeared  a  tribe  of 
savages  kneeling  in  profound  silence.  A  change  came  in 
the  wind ;  a  song  loud  and  long  rose  as  a  voice-offering  to 
the  Great  Spirit ;  then  glittering  church-spire,  church  and 
altar,  vanished,  and  down  the  steep  rock  trailed  a  long 
line  of  strange-looking  men,  in  solemn  silence.  Before  all, 
as  borne  by  some  airy  sprite,  sported  a  glittering  image 
of  silver,  which  in  the  deep  shadows  changed  to  fairy  shape, 
and,  with  sparkling  wings,  disappeared  in  the  rent  rocks. 
A  loud  laugh  of  brutal  triumph,  combined  with  the  strange 
vision,  startled  to  consciousness  the  hunter ;  and,  musing  on 
5 


40  HISTORICAL  RELICS  OF 

what  had  passed,  he  rekindled  his  fire  by  the  light  of 
morning  over  the  eastern  mountains. 

Another  report  declares  that,  not  far  from  the  period 
of  which  we  speak,  another  hunter  was  startled  from  pro- 
found sleep  in  the  dead  of  night  by  most  hideous  screech- 
ings,  as  of  a  man  in  the  last  agonies  of  extreme  torture. 
At  intervals,  through  the  remainder  of  the  night,  above  the 
roar  of  the  mountain  stream  rose  strange  noises,  either 
through  fancy  or  reality. 

Connected  with  the  same  odd  train,  so  much  in  keeping 
with  the  spirit  of  wild  legendary  adventure,  comes  another 
account,  that,  in  a  superstitious,  witchcraft  age,  might  cause 
some  credulous  ones  to  become  confident.  There  once 
came  a  great  storm,  out  of  which  came  a  voice,  saying : 
"  That  pagan  treasure  from  St.  Francis  may  not  remain 
a  secret  to  adventure  till  the  Great  Spirit's  thunder  dies 
on  the  crags  of  Ayiochook."  When  these  words  were  pro- 
nounced, the  apparition  of  a  skeleton  Indian,  with  ribs 
like  loud-sounding  harp-strings,  was  followed  by  an  armed 
train  of  pale-faces ;  an  Indian  village  was  burning,  and 
from  the  blood  and  ruins  of  the  fire-lit  night  a  soldier 
appeared,  bearing  a  silver  image,  money  and  wampum, 
away  to  the  woods.  After  thus  much  of  the  wonderful, 
the  precise  locality  of  the  treasure,  with  a  power  to  do 
away  the  influence  of  enchantment,  was  reserved  for  the 
genius  of 


THE    WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  41 

THE  OLD  FORTUNE-TELLER. 

The  history  of  "  image  memory"  as  connected  with  these 
bald  peaks,  has  connected  with  it  the  old  Fortune-teller, 
who,  by  her  wonderful  disclosures,  had  the  credit  of  being 
leagued  with  the  spirits  of  another  world.  By  her  high 
pretensions,  she  held  the  power  of  divination,  and  among 
her  superstitious  votaries  passed  for  what  no  mortal  is. 
She  had  a  magic  stone,  said  to  have  been  found  in  a  cave 
among  the  mountains,  and  possessing  marvellous  supposed 
virtues.  This  was  considered  as  a  priceless  treasure  by 
Indian  Magi  —  fit  offering  to  the  Great  Spirit.  Such  was 
the  "favoring  star  "  that  ruled  her  strange  destiny,  that 
from  this  stone  she  pretended  to  read  events  of  the  past 
and  future.  Her  home  was  a  rude  mud  hovel,  in  a  by- 
place,  where  she  was  visited  by  but  few,  save  those  who 
ignorantly  believed  in  her  magical  power.  She  sought  no 
mortal  sympathy,  and  busied  her  loneliness  in  seeking  poi- 
son-herbs, which  were  potent  helps  to  her  power.  Many 
believed  she  could  blast  the  hopes  of  youth  by  one  wither- 
ing look  of  displeasure,  change  the  boldest  heart  to  one 
of  fear,  and  dry,  by  one  wave  of  her  hand,  the  blood  of 
ambition  in  the  veins  of  manhood ;  and,  in  short,  her  vic- 
tims believed  her  immortal.  Her  art  was  solicited  as  an 
aid  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  object  had  in  view  by 
the  fortune  adventurers. 


42  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

SEARCH  FOR  THE  IMAGE,  MONEY,  AND  WAMPUM. 

The  hunter  who  had  found  the  hatchet  and  bark  roll, 
with  four  other  adventurers,  made  ready  for  a  search  for 
the  silver  image,  &c.,  with  the  old  fortune-teller  as  a 
figure-head  for  the  enterprise.  She  agreed,  if  the  party 
would  but  abide  her  arrangements,  they  should  be  suc- 
cessful. Accordingly,  her  labelled  phials,  apparatus  for 
burning  drugs,  smattering  of  mystic  words  in  an  un- 
known tongue,  with  the  magic  stone,  completed  for  her 
a  fancied  latent  power,  equal  in  confidence  to  try  skill 
with  the  mighty  magician  of  all  foul  incantations.  She 
pretended  the  treasure  they  sought  was  under  the  influ- 
ence of  strong  enchantment ;  and,  by  a  fancied  combination 
of  astrology,  alchemy  and  divination,  she  declared  that 
the  next  night  the  situation  of  the  stars  would  be  favor- 
able for  their  purpose.  With  pick,  bar,  spade  and  axe, 
together  with  the  old  Fortune-teller's  spiritual  weap- 
ons, early  in  the  morning  this  little  party  started  for  the 
mountains,  with  sufficient  imaginary  power  to  lay  the 
ill-will  of  the  most  fearful  hobgoblins  that  ever  walked  in 
darkness.  Once  in  motion,  with  their  physical  and  spirit- 
ual apparatus  in  view,  a  moderate  stretch  of  fancy  might 
startle  the  supposition  that,  with  individual  assurance, 
their  object  was  to  dare  the  infernal  regions,  and  poison 
the  imps  with  a  refined  portion  of  the  old  fortune-teller's 


THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS.  43 

phialled-up  venom.  The  old  hunter  who  had  found  the 
relics  had  but  little  faith  in  her  art ;  yet  his  love  of  ad- 
venture led  him  to  brave  the  ridicule  of  those  who  were  but 
slightly  tinctured  in  mind  by  superstition,  while  he  at  the 
same  time  cherished  an  injury  against  her  that  was  deeply 
hacked  in  his  memory.  He  was  an  old  bachelor,  and  he 
believed  the  old  fortune-teller  had  been  guilty  of  poison- 
ing the  one  of  his  choice,  to  gratify  the  ill-will  cherished 
by  an  unwelcome  rival ;  and  he  had  been  heard  to  say, 
"  Give  me  but  time  to  prove  that  the  old  hag  is  not  in- 
vincible by  her  covenant  with  the  devil,  and  I  die  con- 
tented" In  sullen  silence  he  marked  out  their  path ;  and, 
as  he  trailed  along  with  his  rifle  laid  across  one  arm,  with 
a  hunting-knife,  suspended  by  a  leathern  girdle,  in  its 
shaggy  bear-skin  sheath,  it  would  have  been  pleasant  to 
those  who  are  gratified  by  studying  variety  of  character 
to  have  noted  his  proud  bearing.  He  had  already  had 
hard  words  with  the  old  fortune-teller,  and  now  there  was 
meaning  in  the  stern  expression  of  his  weather-tanned 
face.  Time  had  deeply  furrowed  his  brow,  and  habit  had 
thereon  contracted  an  eternal  scowl,  which,  with  a  cold, 
fixed  stare,  as  he  plodded  onward,  told  of  a  design  that 
was  steeling  his  heart  for  its  accomplishment. 

It  is   sufficient  to    hasten   forward   to  the  concluding 
scene,  by  noting  that  the  old  fortune-teller  and  the  hunter 
had  a  falling  out,  as  they  halted  to  eat  their  "  cold  lunch  ;  " 
5* 


44  HISTORICAL    RELICS   OF 

and,  drawing  his  knife,  he  swore  he  would  know  on  the 
spot  whether  she  was  in  league  or  not  with  invisible 
powers.  Bloodshed  was  doubtless  alone  prevented  by  timely 
interference  of  others  of  the  party,  and  she  declared  she 
could  find  that  treasure  without  the  hunter's  aid,  and 
would  not  proceed  further  under  his  guidance.  From  this 
point  she  became  guide ;  and,  having  assumed  this  right, 
such  scrambling  over  bush  and  log,  through  swamp  and 
brook,  was  seldom  undergone  before,  perchance,  by  one 
who  on  winged  thought  could  compass  space  by  the  art  of 
magic.  Much  of  the  activity  of  better  days  had  been 
kept  alive  by  the  old  fortune-teller,  by  her  active  habits, 
through  woods  and  fields  in  search  for  roots  and  herbs ; 
and  either  on  the  uprising  vapor  from  broken  phials,  or 
by  the  transforming  power  of  magic,  they  arrived,  about 
sunset,  near  where  accounts  had  fixed  the  location  of  the 
treasure.  The  precise  spot  was  soon  pointed  out  by  the  aid 
of  a  peculiar  rod,  and  the  "  magic  stone  ;  "  and  all  things 
were  prepared  for  successful  search,  when  that  night  the 
position  of  the  "favoring  star  "  might  make  known  the 
exact  moment.  The  night  threatened  to  be  dark  and 
showery ;  and,  with  gloomy  forebodings  of  an  uprising 
tempest,  the  wind  roared  mournfully  over  the  lone  wil- 
derness ;  and  high  up  among  the  rocks,  in  a  narrow  copse 
of  scrub  spruce,  glimmered  a  little,  wavering  fire.  Around 
that  fire,  within  range  of  the  fitful  glare  it  sent  out  upon 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  45 

the  starless  night,  was  the  male  portion  of  that  treasure- 
seeking  party  (excepting  the  old  hunter),  gravely  watch- 
ing every  motion  of  the  old  fortune-teller,  as,  with  a  jab- 
berish  jargon  of  discords,  she  tended  a  pot  of  simmering 
herbs.  Lazily  the  hours  crept  on  towards  midnight,  and 
all  wondered  why  the  old  hunter  did  not  come ;  and,  at 
last,  with  all  things  ready,  the  female  genius  gave  the 
watchword  "  ready ! "  and  next  followed  the  order 
"  strike ! "  with  the  caution  not  to  cease  searching  till 
she  gave  warning  that  the  spell  was  broken,  and  the  treas- 
ure was  within  their  grasp.  Then  arose  the  din  of  spade 
and  bar,  and  the  clinking  pickaxe  struck  sparks  from  the 
flinty  rocks,  as  the  diggers  toiled  on ;  and,  busy  as  a 
bewitching  spirit  in  a  gale  of  wind,  the  old  fortune-teller 
fluttered  about,  now  here,  now  there,  strewing  the  mid- 
night air  with  volatile  odor  from  an  uncorked  phial,  urg- 
ing the  men  to  unremitting  diligence,  and  ever  and  anon 
waving  her  wand  through  the  black  night,  with  a  wild 
muttering  of  strange  words  accompanying.  Wrought  up 
to  the  highest  pitch  by  avaricious  excitement,  nerved  by 
mingled  fear  and  hope,  they  had  little  heeded  the  terrific 
warfare  that  the  elements  were  gathering  in  the  distance 
to  break  in  fury  about  their  heads.  The  dolorous  mur 
muring  of  the  roused  wind,  that  at  dark  swept  over  thA 
groaning  woods,  had  now  increased  to  a  heavy  gale,  thai 
wildly  whirled  about  the  naked  rocks,  above  and  below 


46  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

and  the  lightning,  that  had  long  been  advancing  with  a 
wider  curve  over  the  front  of  the  on-coming  thunder-cloud, 
now  changed  the  black  darkness  to  a  mighty  heaving  mass 
of  liquid  fire  ;  then  the  roar  of  the  thunder  burst  among 
the  craggy  rocks,  echoing  in  continued  peals,  shaking  the 
very  mountain  with  a  noise  like  the  voice  of  an  upheaving 
earthquake.  A  terrible  crash  followed,  like  the  falling 
of  a  hundred  towering  pines  ;  and,  with  the  flood  loosened 
from  the  clouds  by  the  shock,  rocks  and  trees  rolled  in 
fearful  destruction  down  the  mountain  gorge.  The  flick- 
ering light  of  their  uncertain  pine  torch  disappeared  in 
the  wind,  and  between  the  vivid  flashes  that  in  quick  suc- 
cession followed  appeared  a  slight  glimpse  of  total  chaos. 
Consternation  seized  those  men ;  and,  hesitating,  the 
voice  of  the  old  fortune-teller  screamed,  amid  the  dire  con- 
fusion of  thunder,  wind  and  water,  "  Dig,  men,  dig  !  the 
power  of  light  or  darkness  cannot  harm  you  !  This  raging 
is  the  powerful  influence  of  strong  enchantment !  Dig ! 
—  dig  !  —  the  treasure  must  come  forth  amid  the  convul- 
sions of  the  elements !  "  Ere  she  had  finished  speaking, 
another  flash  revealed  the  diggers  standing,  like  pale 
ghosts,  reckless  of  her  command.  Like  a  wild  fury,  she 
leaped  into  the  hollow  among  moved  rocks,  and,  with  one 
despairing  shriek,  fell  to  work,  cursing  her  companions. 
A  loud,  shrill  whoop  rose  up  with  the  din  of  the  storm, 
in  mocking  answer  to  her  rage ;  and  when  next  a  blue 


THE   WHITE    MOUNTAINS.  47 

twinkling  flame  spread  over  the  black  rocks  a  ghostly 
light,  a  giant  form  arose  from  the  mist,  hurled  over  the 
precipice  kettle  and  phial,  and,  taking  the  "  magic  stone  " 
in  both  hands,  when  next  a  flash  lit  up  the  scene,  a  fierce 
grin  appeared  upon  a  visage  strangely  like  the  old  hunt- 
er's face,  —  a  deep  groan  followed,  —  again  electric  fire 
lit  up  rock  and  cloud;  and,  with  a  wild,  loud  laugh, 
the  phantom  of  the  mist  was  seen  dragging  the  old  for- 
tune-teller by  her  hair  towards  the  brink  of  the  precipice. 
Our  heroes  of  "  image-seeking  memory  "  waited  to  see  no 
more.  Fancying  the  powers  of  the  earth  and  air  com- 
bined against  their  enterprise,  they  made  random  leaps, 
through  the  darkness,  down  precipitous  rocks,  and  anon 
lighted  for  a  moment  by  a  flash  on  the  steep  and  danger- 
ous way,  arrived  in  the  low  valley,  wet,  weary,  bruised, 
and  frightened.  Next  morning  the  sun  rose  clear  over  the 
mountains,  lighting  the  mist  that  hung  on  the  glitter- 
ing rocks ;  and  where  the  last  night's  battle  had  been, 
upon  bush,  rock  and  moss,  sparkled  a  thousand  rain- 
drops, like  priceless  gems  in  nature's-  glorious  crown.  The 
fate  of  the  old  fortune-teller  and  hunter  to  this  day 
remains  a  mystery ;  but  the  track  made  by  the  scathing 
lightning  that  fearful  night  may  now  be  seen ;  and  the 
traditions  preserved  by  the  simple-minded  settlers  near 
associate  with  their  importance  a  saintly  fear,  when  they 
call  to  mind  the  circumstances  of  that  night.  Around 


48  HISTORICAL   REUC?   OF 

that  time-honored  spot,  strange  wail  ings  may  now  be  heard 
when  the  wind  is  high  ;  and  some  fancy  that  a  giant 
Indian  spirit  watches  near,  and,  with  goodly  semblance  of 
sincerity,  the  same  believe  that,  bound  in  some  dark  cav- 
ern, the  old  fortune-teller  and  hunter  in  spirit  dwell 
together  in  torment. 

THE  OLD   BRASS  PLATE. 

About  the  year  1802,  a  curious  brass  plate,  covered 
with  hieroglyphical  inscriptions,  of  apparently  ancient 
date,  was  found  under  a  rock  near  the  top  of  Mount 
Washington.  When  it  was  placed  there,  or  by  whom,  is 
yet  a  profound  mystery.  There  was  through  the  plate  a 
hole,  and  a  piece  of  rusty  copper,  that  appeared  to  be  a 
bolt  once  used  to  secure  it  to  the  rock.  According  to 
tradition,  this  brass  was  of  irregular  shape,  having  been 
apparently  much  eaten  by  rust ;  and,  from  its  real  appear- 
ance, the  characters  were  said  to  be  in  an  unknown 
tongue ;  and,  in  short,  of  very  imperfect  and  doubtful  im- 
port. This  was  found  by  an  explorer,  or  hunter ;  and, 
being  carried  to  the  then  new  settlement  of  Jackson,  below 
the  mountain,  for  a  while  created  a  short-lived  excitement, 
and  at  last  disappeared  entirely. 


THE    WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  49 

DISCOVERY  OF  NOTCH. 

By  record  it  appears  that  this  remarkable  defile  was 
known  to  the  aborigines,  but  was  never  used  by  them  as 
a  crossing-place  for  their  captives,  or  as  a  war-path,  till 
white  explorers  in  part  wiped  from  their  moral  vision  the 
dark  superstition  that  such  approach  to  Agiochook  would 
be  deemed  by  the  Great  Spirit  pardonless  sacrilege.  For 
many  years  after  it  was  known  to  the  first  hunters 
this  Notch  became  forgotten  or  neglected,  till  the  year 
1771,  when  it  was  re-discovered  by  two  hunters,  Nash  and 
Saivyer.  They  drove  a  moose  up  a  wild  mountain  stream, 
surrounded  by  towering  crags ;  and,  with  the  belief  that 
it  was  a  deep  gorge,  surrounded  behind  by  mountains, 
they  followed,  animated  by  the  thought  of  making  an  easy 
conquest  of  their  intended  victim.  Imagine  their  disap- 
pointment when  they  found  their  purpose  thwarted  by 
tracing  the  foot-prints  of  the  moose  along  an  ancient  Indian 
trail,  over  high  precipices,  to  a  little  meadow  quite  on  the 
other  side  of  the  mountain !  These  hunters  published  this 
interesting  discovery,  and  were  rewarded  by  the  tract  of 
land,  northerly  from  the  Notch,  known  as  "  Nash  and 
Sawyer's  Location." 

DESCRIPTION  OF  NOTCH,  ETC. 
The  Notch  is  a  narrow  rent,  extending  more  than  two 
miles  between  towering  crags.     This  is  doubtless   the 


50  HISTORICAL  RELICS   OF 

mighty  work  of  some  overwhelming  internal  convulsion ; 
or,  perchance,  the  deluge  here  tore  mountains  asunder. 
The  entrance  of  this  wonderful  chasm  is  about  twenty-two 
feet  wide,  forming  in  itself  a  strange  natural  gateway, 
with  high  mountain  fragments  piled  up  on  either  side, 
receding  as  you  go  down,  till  their  tops  reach  the  clouds. 
,From  a  little  beaver  meadow  the  Saco  river  rises  north- 
erly from  this  gateway,  and,  struggling  down  its  narrow 
bounds,  shares  with  the  road  its  wild  gulf;  and,  having 
passed  through  the  mountain,  bears  its  tribute  onward  to 
the  ocean.  Words  cannot  describe  faithfully  the  magnifi- 
cent scenery  of  the  Notch.  This  wonderful  display  of 
Almighty  power  creates  invariably  sensations  of  awe  and 
mortal  weakness.  Passing  low  down  between  the  ruins 
of  mountains  rent  to  their  foundation,  the  tourist  will 
notice  a  beautiful  waterfall  on  the  left,  that,  foaming  over 
a  series  of  rocks,  falls  in  one  place,  nearly  perpendicular, 
eight  hundred  feet.  This  was  by  Dr.  Dwight  very  appro- 
priately named  Silver  Cascade,  and  is  said  to  be  one  of  the 
finest  waterfalls  in  the  world.  Below,  a  short  distance,  on 
the  same  side,  falls  another  stream,  clear  and  beautiful. 
This,  from  having  worn  a  channel  deeply  into  the  rock,  is 
called  The,  Flume.  In  one  place  this  stream  leaps  a 
hundred  feet ;  and  its  whole  course  from  the  clouds  down 
is  foamy  and  wild.  For  two  thirds  of  the  year  a  more 
desolate  place  can  hardly  be  imagined  than  this  Notch. 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  51 

Dismal  winds  moan  through  the  leafless  trees,  and 
through  the  fissures  of  the  rocks ;  and  methinks  the  poor 
storm-bound  traveller  here  in  fancy  has  heard  the  genii 
of  the  mountain,  sending  through  this  gorge  a  deafening 
chorus  of  most  frightful  music.  Woe,  then,  to  poor  mor- 
tality, when  the  snow  falls  fast,  and  the  king  of  tempests 
rides  on  the  wings  of  the  hurricane  through  the  clouds, 
armed  with  winter's  cold,  blinding  sleet,  and  avalanches 
of  ice  ! 

Thejirst  settler  through  the  Notch  was  Col.  Whipple, 
from  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  He  came  up  in  the  year  1772, 
and  he  was  at  that  time  enabled  to  get  his  cattle  up 
through  the  Notch  by  means  of  teacles  and  ropes,  as  the 
hunter's  path  was  over  several  precipices,  now  shunned 
by  the  travelled  way.  All  the  way  through  the  northern 
wilderness  of  Laconia  (now  N.  H.),  with  the  needful  means 
of  civilization  with  him,  he  came,  scaled  the  crags  that  hang 
around  that  mighty  rent  through  mountains,  and  by  his 
enterprise  earned  the  honor  of  being  the  first  white  man 
who  made  a  permanent  settlement  in  the  township  of 
Dartmouth  (now  Jefferson). 

The  first  female  through  the  Notch  was  one  who  in  her 
old  age  was  known  as  "  Granny  Stalbird"  She  came  up 
with  Col.  Whipple  in  1776,  as  his  servant-girl.  After- 
wards she  married,  became  a  widow ;  since  which,  learn- 
ing of  the  Indians  the  virtue  of  roots  and  herbs,  she 


52  HISTORICAL   RELICS  OF 

became  a  noted  doctress,  and  was  famous  in  all  this  new 
country  for  her  skill.  After  enjoying  life  for  nearly  a 
full  century,  she  died,  leaving  her  name  in  the  memory  of 
many  pleasantly  cherished ;  and  the  history  of  a  vast 
rock,  that  long  ago  tumbled  down  from  the  mountains, 
bears  the  name  "  Granny  Stalbird's  Rock."  One  time, 
while  passing  on  her  professional  duties  through  the 
Notch,  she  was  overtaken  by  a  terrible  storm  ;  and  dark- 
ness coming  on,  with  torrents  Of  water  from  the  clouds, 
that  swelled  to  a  fearful  height  the  wild  mountain  streams, 
she  sought  shelter  under  this  rock,  and  laid  there  through 
a  sleepless  night,  with  the  doleful  music  of  water,  wind 
and  wolves,  around  her.  The  habits  of  this  useful  old 
doctress  were  quite  masculine.  On  foot,  or  astride  of  an 
old  horse,  she  might  commonly  be  seen  in  the  road,  hast- 
ening from  house  to  house  on  her  errands  of  mercy.  Bad 
travelling  and  severe  storms,  were  never  insurmountable 
barriers  in  her  path  of  usefulness.  To  do  good  to  the 
sick  was  her  life ;  and  her  God  sustained  her  for  long 
years  as  a  worthy  ministering  spirit  to  the  afflicted.  She 
needs  no  monument  to  her  memory  more  lasting  than  that 
which  lives  in  her  deeds. 

STORY  OF  NANCY'S  ROCK  AND  BROOK. 

On  a  branch  of  the  Saco,  below  where  the  Willey 
House  now  stands,  a  girl  perished  in  1778.     Her  sad 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  53 

story  is  worthy  of  notice  here.  Nancy  came  up  through 
the  Notch  with  Colonel  Whipple,  soon  after  his  settle- 
ment, and  a  hired  servant  of  his  gained  her  affections. 
She  learned  to  place  in  his  fair  promises  all  the  confidence 
of  her  guiltless  heart,  and,  long  cherished  as  a  true  friend, 
the  wretch,  having  moulded  her  affections  completely  to 
his  purpose,  agreed  to  go  to  Portsmouth  and  be  married. 
They  first  went  to  Lancaster,  to  make  necessary  prepara- 
tions for  their  intended  journey  through  the  wilderness. 
She  trusted  her  lover  with  the  money  the  colonel  had  paid 
her  for  two  years'  service,  and,  false  to  the  common  feel- 
ings of  humanity,  he  left  her,  and  hastened  away  on  his 
long  journey.  There  was  then  no  road,  and  a  dense  wil- 
derness, thirty  miles  to  the  first  settlement  below  the 
Notch,  with  only  a  hunter's  path,  marked  by  spotted  trees, 
was  to  be  passed ;  but  Nancy,  when  aware  of  her  lover's 
treachery,  resolved  to  follow,  at  the  hazard  of  life.  There 
was  a  light  snow  upon  the  ground  and  trees,  so  that,  when 
she  got  back  to  the  Colonel's,  she  was  thoroughly  drenched, 
and  the  cold  winds  of  autumn  had  chilled  her.  In  vain 
her  friends  there  tried  to  dissuade  her  from  following ; 
but  persuaded  by  her  determination  that  her  false  one 
would  camp  at  the  Notch  that  night,  she  thought  by 
travelling  without  rest  she  might  overtake  him  there.  All 
night  she  wandered,  and  when  morning  came  she  reached 
the  spot  where  the  ashes  of  his  camp-fire  were  yet  warm ; 


54  HISTORICAL  RELICS  OF 

but  he  was  gone,  and  in  vain,  with  benumbed  hands,  she 
tried  to  rekindle  the  fire.  Wet,  cold  and  hungry,  and 
excessively  wearied  by  over-exertion,  she  still  clung  to  the 
false  shadow  of  a  hope  that  lived  in  her  heart,  and  made 
one  more  desperate  effort  to  —  she  knew  not  what. 

That  branch  of  the  Saco,  in  that  lonely  mountain  gorge, 
sings  a  song  that  never  ends ;  and  by  it  is  a  rock  that 
stands  as  a  wasteless  monument,  silently  defying  time  and 
storms.  These  bear  the  respective  names  "  Nancy's  Rock 
and  Brook,"  and  here  her  body  was  found,  with  her  head 
resting  upon  her  hand  and  cane.  Fearing  for  her  safety, 
as  she  did  not  return,  her  friends  followed  her  the  next 
morning,  and  found  her  frozen  stiff.  The  lover  of  this 
unhappy  girl  heard  of  her  horrible  death,  and,  smitten  by 
conscience,  became  insane,  and  after  a  few  weeks  died  a 
raving  madman.  This  is  a  concise  sketch,  as  told  me  by 
some  who,  knowing  the  above  facts,  yet  live  to  bear  record 
that  my  description  is  true. 

Her  tragic  fate,  though  horrid  to  relate, 
Shows  how  true  love  controls  a  woman's  fate. 

The  first  goods  brought  up  the  Notch  was  a  barrel  of 
rum,  which  was  given  to  Captain  Rosbrook,  by  a  mer- 
chant of  Portland,  on  condition  he  would  get  it  up  through 
the  Notch.  The  captain  made  record,  that  after  crossing 
the  Saco  river  twenty-two  times,  with  a  horse  and  two 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  55 

poles,  and  several  men,  he  succeeded  in  getting  as  much 
of  the  rum  up  as  was  not  used,  in  the  enterprise. 

First  produce  carried  down  through  the  Notch  was  a 
barrel  of  tobacco,  raised  in  Lancaster,  by  one  Titus  0. 
Brown.  Thus,  we  see,  rum  and  tobacco  ranked  here, 
where,  among  many  good  people  of  olden  times,  they  were 
considered  absolutely  necessary,  as  first.  But,  thanks 
be  to  reformers,  may  the  day  not  be  far  distant  when  an 
intemperate  use  of  either  shall  be  looked  upon  by  the 
public,  under  the  influence  of  moral  persuasion,  as  an 
evil  to  be  ranked  in  the  same  light  with  the  follies  of 
witchcraft ! 

FIRST   HOUSE  IN  THE  NOTCH. 

The  Willey  House  is  the  oldest  building  erected  in  the 
Notch.  This  was  built  in  the  year  1793,  by  a  Mr.  Davis, 
to  accommodate  the  unfortunate  storm-bound  traveller, 
who,  from  curiosity,  or  on  business,  might  dare  the  dangers 
of  this  wild  pass.  Then  a  little  grassy  meadow  stretched 
along  the  bank  of  the  Saco ;  tall  rock-maples,  and  a  tower- 
ing mountain  barrier,  rose  in  the  background  from  this 
little  home  of  the  pilgrim.  How  like  a  cool  shadow  of  a 
great  rock  was  this  retreat  among  the  frowning  crags ! 
But  the  thundering  avalanche  came,  and,  since  August  28th, 
1826,  the  spirit  of  desolation  has  brooded  over  that  fated 
spot.  How  lonely  there  is  the  dirge  of  the  high  wind,  as 
6* 


00  HISTORICAL   RELICS  OF 

it  sweeps  down  that  solitary  chasm ;  and  the  wail  of  the 
sunset  breeze,  with  the  loud  requiem  of  the  on-rushing 
hurricane,  is  most  mournful,  for  human  bones  are  there 
palled  in  an  avalanche's  ruins ! 

AVALANCHES  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

Betimes  around  these  "  gray  old  piles  of  eternity  "  rise 
heavy  black  clouds  from  the  four  points  of  heaven,  that 
shroud  all  "  tip-top  "  in  the  darkness  of  night,  and  cast 
gloomy  shadows  on  the  deep,  wild  gorges  below.  Then  the 
invisible  genius  of  storms  loosens  the  howling  winds  from 
their  secret  caverns,  down  comes  the  outpouring  tornado, 
the  mountain  shakes  beneath  the  tramp  of  the  on-rushing 
tempest,  and  the  rough  rocks  smoke  by  the  violence  of 
the  merciless  elements.  It  is  fearful,  then,  to  be  high 
among  the  rocks,  with  the  roaring  hurricane's  breath, 
wildly  rushing  clouds,  heavy  thunder-peals,  and  vivid 
lightning-flash,  mingled  in  one  overwhelming  discord 
around.  Then  mighty  piles  of  rocks,  and  acres  of  forest 
growth,  roll  down  the  mountain  side,  new  streams  burst 
out  among  the  rocks,  and  thus  have  these  famous  peaks 
become  deeply  marked  by  the  desolating  track  of  the 
thundering  avalanche.  Wide  over  the  valleys  below  scat- 
ter the  ruins,  like  the  eruption  of  a  volcano ;  and  loud 
reverberations  among  the  echoing  cliffs,  move  away  like 
distant  thunder.  These  land-slides  generally  start  near 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  67 

the  upper  region  of  scrub  vegetation,  and,  deepening  and 
widening  as  they  rush  down,  carry  with  them  the  forest 
growth,  huge  rocks,  and  all  the  loose  earth,  even  to  the 
bare  granite ;  and  thus,  in  some  remarkable  storms,  thou- 
sands of  acres  are  made  desolate,  with  a  thundering  noise, 
like  that  heard  when  an  earthquake  lifts  for  deliverance. 
Tourists,  on  all  sides  of  these  mountains,  must  have 
noticed  long  scars,  like  wide  roads,  reaching  down  to  the 
lowlands,  that  curiously  contrast,  by  their  yellow  or  red- 
dish hues,  with  the  dark,  evergreen  growth  through  which 
they  sweep.  These  are  the  paths  of  avalanches. 

ORIGIN   OP   INDIAN   FIRE-WORSHIP. 

Doubtless  the  profound  veneration  which  has  ever  for 
these  old  towering  piles  prevailed  among  the  Indians 
originated,  in  part,  from  these  terrible  visitations  that 
have  here  at  times  shook  the  foundation  of  this  wild 
region.  The  gleam  of  the  lightning  flying  from  cliff  to 
cliff,  the  voice  of  the  thunder  speaking  from  the  black 
cloud,  and  the  dire  confusion  of  the  desolating  avalanche, 
all  told  of  the  Great  Spirit,  to  whose  almighty  power 
they  offered  sacrifice  with  reverence.  From  the  tempest- 
clouds  of  Agiochook,  for  the  red  hunter,  had  been  sent 
down  fire  that  shivered  the  tall  pine  of  the  cold,  shadowy 
valley  of  Amonoosuc ;  and  by  it  he  learned  to  cook  his 
moose-meat,  and  warm  his  wearied  limbs.  From  this 


58  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

gift  of  fire  from  the  clouds  grew  up  with  the  tribes  of  the 
northern  wilderness,  according  to  the  imaginative  tradi- 
tionary lore  of  old,  the  celebrated  fire-dance,  fire-worship, 
and  sacrifice  of  game  to  fire. 

DESTRUCTION  OP  THE  WILLEY   FAMILY. 

Some  few  instances  are  on  record,  and  others  live  in 
tradition,  of  destruction  of  human  life,  as,  also,  of  wonder- 
ful escapes  from  death,  among  these  mountains,  by  the 
resistless  avalanche.  The  following  account,  by  its  start- 
ling details,  first  attracts  our  notice.  Some  time  in  June 
—  before  the  great  "  slide  "  in  August,  1826  —  there  came 
a  great  storm,  and  the  old  veteran,  Abel  Crawford,  coming 
down  the  Notch,  noticed  the  trees  slipping  down,  standing 
upright,  and,  as  he  was  passing  Mr.  Willey's,  he  called 
and  informed  him  of  the  wonderful  fact.  Immediately, 
in  a  less  exposed  place,  Mr.  Willey  prepared  a  shelter  to 
which  to  flee  in  case  of  immediate  danger ;  and  in  the 
night  of  August  28th,  that  year,  he  was,  with  his  family, 
awakened  by  the  thundering  crash  of  the  coming  avalanche. 
Attempting  to  escape,  that  family,  nine  in  number,  rushed 
from  the  house,  and  were  overtaken  and  buried  alive 
under  a  vast  pile  of  rocks,  earth,"  trees,  and  water.  By 
a  remarkable  circumstance,  the  house  remained  uninjured, 
as  the  slide  divided  about  four  rods  back  of  the  house 
(against  a  high  flat  rock),  and  came  down  on  either  side, 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  59 

with  overwhelming  power.  The  little  meadow  there,  on 
the  Saco,  was  entirely  destroyed,  and  to  this  day  wears 
a  desert  aspect.  A  commodious  two-story  hotel  has  been 
erected  near  this  spot,  and  thousands  each  season  come  to 
stand  upon  the  rock  that  saved  that  famous  old  Willey 
House,  by  turning  the  force  of  the  thundering  avalanche 
aside.  There  is,  near  by,  a  rude  mound  of  small  stones, 
piled  up  by  strangers,  who  have  visited  this  spot  to  see 
where  three  children  yet  sleep  in  death,  beneath  the  ruins 
of  that  fearful  night. 

NAMES   OF  THAT   FAMILY. 


Samuel  Willey,  jr.,  aged  38. 
Polly  L.  Willey,  «  35. 
Eliza  Ann,  "  13. 

Jeremiah  L.,  "     11. 


Elbridge  Gr.,  aged    7. 

Sally,  «      5. 

David  Nickerson,  "    21. 

David  Allen,  «    37. 


Martha  Gr.,  "       9. 

Two  first,  parents ;  five  next,  children ;  two  last,  hired 
men.  The  three  first  and  three  last  have  been  found,  and 
the  other  three  are  where  the  avalanche  overtook  them 
that  fatal  hour. 

WONDERFUL    ESCAPES. 

In  Moore's  Hist.  Col.  of  N.  H.,  vol.  m.,  p.  226,  is  found 
the  description  of  a  remarkable  escape  from  death,  one 
dark  and  rainy  night,  on  the  side  of  Mt.  Washington. 


60  HISTORICAL   EELICS   OP 

This  we  will  style  The  Destruction  of  Ethan's  Cabin.  The 
description  is  as  follows  :  "  We  were  on  the  north-westerly 
side  of  Mt.  Washington,  August  27th,  1826,  about  two 
miles  from  the  top.  The  storm  continued  to  increase; 
the  very  summit  seemed  to  shake  in  the  tempest,  and  an 
involuntary  dread  touched  our  hearts,  as  the  noise  of  the 
hurricane  grew  louder,  and  sudden  gusts  swept  over  us, 
and  dashed  down  streams  of  water  upon  our  frail  cabin. 
Our  fire  was  put  out,  and,  fearing  lest  delay  might  be 
death,  we  hastened  down  the  mountain,  and  crossed  the 
Amonoosuc  as  best  we  could,  which  stream  was  now  roar- 
ing along  like  a  tremendous  cataract.  The  next  morning 
sun  shone  out,  and  we  beheld  where  one  slide  had  the 
appearance  of  passing  directly  over  where  we  had  the 
night  before  camped."  Ethan  in  his  journal  says :  "  God 
only  knows  what  must  have  been  their  fortune,  had  they 
remained;  and  truly  thankful  they  seemed  to  be  for 
their  escape.  It  seemed  really  a  providential  thing  their 
being  saved.  My  cabin,  where  they  were  stopping,  was 
destroyed,  and  the  old  iron  chest  and  blankets  were  all 
swept  away  and  buried,  except  a  few  tattered  pieces  of 
blankets  that  caught  on  bushes  down  the  river.  All  else 
was  lost." 

ORIGIN  OF  PEABODY  RIVER. 
A  description  of  another  wonderful  escape  is  found  in 


THK   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  61 

Kev.  H.  White's  History  of  New  England,  page  327. 
"  The  father  of  Oliver  Peabody,  who  resided  at  Andover, 
Mass.,  in  one  of  his  excursions  into  New  Hampshire  met 
with  an  adventure  which  has  connected  his  name  with  the 
geography  of  the  country,  and  which,  for  that  reason,  as 
well  as  its  singularity,  may,  perhaps,  with  propriety,  be . 
mentioned  here.  He  was  passing  a  night  in  the  cabin  of 
an  Indian,  situated  on  the  height  between  the  Saco  and 
the  Androscoggin  rivers.  The  inmates  of  this  rude  dwell- 
ing were  awakened  in  the  course  of  the  night  by  a  loud 
noise,  and  had  scarcely  time  to  escape,  before  the  hut  was 
swept  away  by  a  torrent  of  water  rushing  impetuously 
down  the  hill.  On  reconnoitring  the  spot,  they  found 
that  this  torrent  had  burst  out  suddenly  from  a  place 
where  there  was  no  spring  before."  This  is  supposed  to 
date  back  to  the  origin  of  the  branch  of  Peabody  river, 
that  runs  in  front  of  the  Glen  House,  and  hence  came  its 
name. 

DARBY  FIELD'S  SECOND  VISIT. 

This  extravagant  description,  by  one  who  occupies  a 
prominent  place  as  an  early  explorer,  is  deemed  worthy 
of  record  as  a  curiosity.  It  might  as  properly  have  been 
noticed  in  connection  with  his  first  visit.  Had  it  then 
been  in  my  possession,  there  it  would  have  appeared ;  but 
my  manuscript,  up  to  this  page,  now  being  in  proof,  here 


62  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

let  it  be  recorded  as  a  worthy  relic,  rescued  by  accident 
from  the  antiquarian  collection  of  the  Massachusetts  His- 
torical Society.  In  a  worm-eaten  old  edition  of  Win- 
throp's  History,  vol.  n.,  page  107,  is  found  the  following : 

"  In  his  second  visit  in  1642,  Darby  Field  went  up  the 
Saco  in  birch  canoes  with  his  party.  He  found  10  falls 
on  that  river  to  stop  boats,  and  there  were  thousands  of 
acres  of  rich  meadow  to  Pegwagget,*  an  Indian  town.  He 
then  went  up  a  hill  30  miles  in  woody  land,  and  8  miles 
up  shattered  rocks,  without  tree  or  grass.  The  top  is  3 
or  4  miles  over,  all  shattered  stone,  and  on  one  end  is 
another  rock  about  a  mile  high,  with  an  acre  on  top.  At 
the  top  of  the  plain  rises  4  great  rivers,  at  the  first  issue 
having  as  much  water  as  will  drive  a  mill.  Connecticut 
from  2  head?, at  the  N.  W.  and  S.  W.,  Saco  on  the  S.  E., 
Amascoggin  at  the  N.  E.,  and  Kennebec  at  the  N.  by  E." 

DEATH  OF  THE  ENGLISH  BARONET. 
From  all  the  hardships  of  adventurous  life  among 
these  mountains,  but  one  instance  of  rashness  proving 
fatal  has  been  known  of  late  years.  Many  fancy  that 
there  is  much  danger  attendant  upon  a  visit  to  this 
famous  place ;  but  the  fact  that  no  serious  injury  has  been 
suffered  by  the  thousands  who  here  climb  to  the  clouds, 

*  Conway. 


THE    WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  63 

with  the  exception  of  this  solitary  case,  ought  to  make 
assurance  double,  that,  with  necessary  prudence,  danger 
here  is  trifling.  Much  credit  is  due  to  the  faithful  man- 
agement of  the  experienced  guides  who  are  employed,  for 
the  benefit  of  company,  at  the  hotels  around  the  moun- 
tains. 

In  the  autumn  of  1851,  late  in  October,  a  young  Eng- 
lish baronet  visited  the  White  Mountain  Notch,  and, 
notwithstanding  snow  was  on  all  the  bald  peaks  above,  he 
determined  to  visit  the  top  of  Mount  Washington.  He 
could  not  be  dissuaded  from  the  rash  attempt ;  go  he  would. 
A  guide  went  with  him  to  the  top  of  Mount  Clinton  from 
Gribbs',  and,  finding  the  snow  deep,  and  the  wind  rough  and 
wintry,  the  experience  of  the  guide  warned  his  better 
judgment  that  it  was  highly  imprudent  to  go  further ;  and, 
having  said  all  he  could  to  discourage  going  forward,  he 
turned  back,  supposing  the  Englishman  would  soon  follow. 
Night  came  on,  but  no  Englishman,  and  early  the  next 
morning  a  party  followed.  They  tracked  him  to  the  top 
rock  of  Mount  Washington,  to  near  where  the  north  end 
of  the  Tiptop  House  now  stands.  Fabyan's  house  was 
then  standing,  and  being  westerly  in  full  view  down  the 
Amonoosuc  valley,  he  started  down  apparently  with  the 
calculation  to  reach  that  point.  Down  where  D.  Field, 
in  his  first  visit,  said,  "  There  was  suck  a  precipice  as  we 
could  scarcely  discern  the  bottom"  they  followed  his  trail. 
7 


64  HISTORICAL  RELICS   OF 

They  found  where  be  fell  many  times,  and  at  last  marks 
of  blood  were  on  the  snow,  and  from  thence  he  appeared 
to  drag  himself  along.  In  the  valley  of  the  Amonoosuc 
they  found  his  body,  mangled,  and  nearly  naked.  He  was 
lying  on  his  face  in  a  little  stream.  In  the  remains  of 
his  clothing  were  found  thirty  dollars  in  gold,  and  a  large 
check,  payable  in  New  York  city. 

DEATH-LEAP  OF  THE  MOOSE  AND  DOG. 
On  an  eastern  spur  of  the  White  Mountains  is  a  beetling 
crag,  down  which  a  hunter  once  drove  a  moose,  and  his 
dog,  pressing  eagerly  on  the  track  of  his  intended  victim, 
followed,  and  both  were  mingled  in  one  mangled  mass  of 
bones,  flesh,  and  blood.  There  is  a  tradition  of  a  man 
who  during  the  early  survey  of  the  township  of  Sherborne, 
was  hired  to  climb  that  ledge  over  which  the  moose  and 
dog  leaped,  and  his  reward  was  to  be  the  best  lot  of 
land  in  the  township.  He  succeeded  in  accomplishing  the 
daring  feat,  and  the  object  of  his  hire  has  since,  by  the 
nerve  that  caused  him  to  not  look  back  or  falter  in  the 
attempt,  become  a  pleasant  home  for  a  second  generation 
of  his  enterprising  name. 

INDIAN    EXILE,  PEALSUCEP. 

A  sun's  journey  up  the  Androscoggin  from  its  mouth, 
in  a  wild  glen,  by  the  shore  of  a  little  lake  that  was  curi- 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  DO 

ously  surrounded  by  a  fanciful  setting  of  evergreen  ver- 
dure, stood  the  wigwam  of  a  young  hunter.  His  name 
was  Pealsucep,  and  a  pretty  young  squaw  was  the  light 
of  his  rude  home.  They  were  happy  together,  for  the 
Great  Spirit  had  smiled  upon  their  love,  and  given  them 
a  son,  a  bright-eyed  little  boy,  who  filled  the  hearts  of 
his  parents  with  unclouded  hope.  When  he  walked  upon 
the  lake  shore,  and  picked  curious  stones,  and  danced 
merrily  among  the  wild-flowers,  it  showed  the  fulness  of 
his  youthful  joy  to  their  hearts,  and  they  were  happy. 
One  day,  when  the  hunter  was  away  to  the  chase  on  the 
hills,  a  pale-faced  stranger  came  to  his  cabin,  treated  his 
squaw  rudely,  and  in  pretended  sport  gave  his  boy  a  toss 
out  into  the  lake  to  see  him  swim  ashore.  The  little 
fellow  struggled  manfully,  and  regained  the  shore  amid 
the  shouts  of  the  pale-faced  sailor,  who  then  offered  the 
squaw  drink  from  a  bottle,  and  departed.  Pealsucep 
returned,  and  the  little  lad  soon  after  grew  sick,  and,  linger- 
ing three  days,  died.  The  squaw  told  the  story  of  the 
pale-face,  to  which  the  hunter  listened  silently,  with  down- 
cast look.  He  went  often  to  the  grave  of  his  little  boy, 
and  made  fit  offering  there,  that  his  journey  might  be 
swift  and  bright  beyond  the  sunset.  But  from  this  time 
there  was  a  black  cloud  upon  the  path  of  Pealsucep  ;  the 
cruel  fire  of  jealousy  was  kindled  with  undying  rage  in 
the  deep  feelings  of  his  spirit,  and  in  vain  did  his  guiltless 


00  HISTORICAL   RELICS  OF 

squaw  declare  her  innocence.  Like  a  tender  flower  that 
nestles  for  protection  against  wind  and  storms  in  the  shade 
of  some  defiant  mountain  pine,  she  felt  her  support  was 
gone ;  a  blight  came  over  her  hopes,  and  she  died. 
Silently  and  tearfully  Pealsucep  laid  her  by  the  side  of 
her  little  boy.  Two  moons  passed  away ;  his  tribe  became 
indignant,  called  a  council,  and  the  gray-headed  old  chief 
sent  for  Pealsucep,  and  said :  "  You  have  sent  your  squaw 
away  before  the  Great  Spirit  called  her.  Ymc  are  a  swift 
hunter  and  brave ;  but  never  make  afoot-mark  among  the 
hunters  of  your  tribe  after  to-morrmv's  sun,  u?iless  you 
take  the  cripple  that  lives  by  the  river  for  your  squaw." 
Pealsucep  looked  upon  the  cripple,  shook  his  head,  and 
ere  sunset  had  gathered  a  pile  of  pine-knots  near  his  cabin 
door.  When  darkness  that  night  came  down  upon  the  lone 
wilderness,  he  kindled  his  knot-pile,  and  by  its  light  laid 
upon  it  the  bodies  of  his  squaw  and  son,  and,  leaving  them 
there  to  consume,  bounded  away  to  the  gloom  of  the  thick 
woods,  filling  the  night  with  fearful  shrieks  of  anguish. 
With  the  morning  light  he  returned.  His  hunting-dress 
was  in  tatters,  his  hair  strangely  tangled,  and,  silently 
gathering  the  ashes  of  those  he  once  loved  into  a  rude 
bark-box,  up  towards  the  mountain  he  turned  his  lone 
steps,  and  made  for  himself  a  new  path  in  the  wilderness. 
Tradition  says  that  upon  a  foaming  stream,  in  the  shadow 
of  the  "  Great  Spirit's "  home,  the  ashes  of  that  squaw 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS. 


67 


and  her  boy  now  repose,  with  a  rude  stone  pile  to  mark 
the  spot.  What  of  Pealsucep  ?  He  made  a  vow ;  and,  if 
tradition  be  true,  the  Great  Spirit  heard  it.  He  dared 
His  displeasure ;  and,  high  up  among  the  clouds,  breathed 
a  promise  to  the  Invisible  Influence  of  storms ;  and  most 
faithfully  a  whisper  came  to  his  spirit.  Deathless  hate 
and  untiring  revenge  against  his  tribe  and  the  pale-faces 
were  the  burden  of  his  wishes.  For  years  he  appeared  to 
be  the  incarnate  embodiment  of  a  destroying  genius,  that 
walked  in  the  wind,  and  silently  speeded  the  arrow  of 
death  on  its  fatal  mission,  till  his  tribe  dwindled  away, 
and  the  pale-faces  abandoned  their  settlement  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kennebec.  By  tradition  he  was  instrumental 
in  destroying  the  war-party  at  Lewiston  Falls,  by  a  false 
light,  set,  as  they  supposed,  by  their  runners  who  went 
forward  to  prepare  camping-ground.  This  light,  instead 
of  being  set  at  the  head  of  the  falls,  was  set  down  below ; 
and,  coming  down  the  river  after  dark,  taking  the  light  as 
guide  for  turning  their  canoes  ashore,  all  went  down,  and 
perished.  At  a  certain  block-house  he  shot  several  senti- 
nels, and  at  last  was  himself  wounded,  by  the  stratagem 
of  a  sentry  at  that  post.  He  this  time  crawled  away  to 
the  river  bank,  floated  across,  and,  filling  his  wound  with 
moss,  lived  for  a  long  time  on  beech-leaves  and  roots,  and 
recovered.  He  took  several  prisoners,  for  which  he  re- 
ceived of  the  Jesuits  a  bounty ;  and  among  others  there  was 


a  little  girl  by  the  name  of  Mary  Crager,  whose  fate  adds 
a  curious  page  to  this  list  of  mountain  relics.  This  Indian, 
according  to  tradition,  once  found,  while  climbing  a  spur 
of  these  mountains,  a  quantity  of  fine  silver  ore.  He  was 
scrambling  up  a  steep  ledge,  where,  to  facilitate  his 
ascent,  he  took  hold  of  a  bush  that  came  up  by  the  roots, 
revealing  to  his  wondering  gaze  hanging  pieces  of  ore  that 
appeared  to  have  oozed  out  in  its  richness  from  the 
crevices  of  the  cliff.  This  Indian  in  1779  was  very  old 
and  feeble ;  his  great  age  made  him  quite  harmless,  and 
he  lived  in  a  shadow  of  the  Great  Spirit's  home ;  and 
there  his  bones  now  moulder,  by  a  rushing  mountain 
stream,  that  sings  an  endless  song  for  three  —  the  little 
Indian  boy,  his  mother,  and  old  Pealsucep,  the  exile. 

WHITE-MOUNTAIN  HERMIT. 

Thomas  Crager  was  the  first  white  man  who  ever  dwelt 
near  the  White  Mountains.  He  lived  at  a  time  so  unfor- 
tunate that  law  supposed  if  a  person  could  not  swim,  when 
arrested,  they  could  send  their  spirit  into  the  body  of  some 
neighbor's  cat,  and  walk  the  night  doing  mischief.  Ac- 
cordingly his  wife  was  executed  as  a  witch ;  and  this  sad 
event  bowed  his  spirit  low  in  the  shadow  of  grief.  But 
one  little  ray  of  hope  beamed  through  the  night  of  his 
soul ;  this  was  his  love  for  his  motherless  little  girl.  One 
evening,  when  a  number  of  little  children  were  at  play 


THE   WHITE  MOUNTAINS.  69 

near  a  wood,  suddenly  the  cry  arose  that  an  Indian  had 
carried  off  little  Mary  Crager.  Nerved  by  the  spirit  of 
desperation,  the  last  tie  binding  this  unfortunate  man  to 
civilized  life  was  now  severed ;  a'nd,  equipped  for  the  chase, 
he  shaped  his  course  for  the  unpathed  wilderness.  Near 
the  White  Mountains  he  came  to  an  Indian  village,  but, 
failing  to  find  the  object  of  his  search  there,  he  took 
advantage  of  the  native  superstition  existing  among  the 
red  hunters  of  that  wild  region,  and  went  up  to  dwell 
among  the  rocks,  where,  undisturbed,  he  for  a  long  time 
lived,  to  savage  fancy,  as  an  adopted  son  of  the  Great 
Spirit.  Unannoyed  by  savage  neighbors,  fish  were  plenty, 
abundance  of  game  lived  on  every  wooded  steep  and  shady 
glen,  and  in  his  habitation  of  solitude  he  was  lord  of  the 
realm  he  trod.  The  crystal  waters  and  pure  air  of  the 
mountains  gave  him  health  and  strength ;  and  as  years 
rolled  away,  void  of  the  exciting  passions  of  busy  life,  he 
grew  old  slowly,  for  a  glimmering  hope  yet  bound  him  to 
earth.  In  his  intercourse  with  his  red  neighbors,  he  was 
respected  on  account  of  his  home  being,  like  an  eagle's, 
perched  among  the  rolling  clouds ;  and,  having  learned 
that  a  little  pale  flower  had  long  been  in  the  possession  of  a 
gray-headed  old  Indian,  who  made  his  dwelling-place 
alone,  distant  from  his  tribe,  he  sought  for  him,  and  found 
what  strengthened  his  fears.  He  found,  in  the  possession 
of  this  Indian,  a  piece  of  what  he  knew  to  be  the  dress  of 


70  HISTORICAL   RELICS  OF 

his  little  girl,  the  evening  she  was  stolen  away.  The 
Indian  was  now  very  old  and  feeble,  and,  raising  his 
trembling  hand  when  Crager  came  into  his  presence,  the 
flash  of  vengeance  rekindled  his  dim  eyes,  and  it  was  a  long 
time  ere  he  could  so  calm  his  fears  as  to  gain  from  him 
in  broken  English  the  sought-for  information.  In  the  end 
he  learned  from  the  Indian,  by  promising  to  instruct  him 
in  the  use  of  a  gun,  that  the  child  he  sought  was  sold  to 
the  Jesuits,  on  a  big  river  towards  the  sunrise,  and  that  now 
she  was  a  tall  woman,  if  living.  It  is  sufficient  for  the 
purpose  of  these  pages*  that,  after  a  series  of  curious 
adventures,  Crager  succeeded  in  finding  his  daughter, 
among  the  eastern  Indians  of  the  Abnakis  tribe,  married, 
and  living  like  a  native  squaw.  He  found  also  in  the 
possession  of  old  Pealsucep  specimens  of  silver,  and 
learned  from  him  the  tradition  referred  to  in  our  notice  of 
the  exile ;  and,  by  making  a  solemn  promise  to  bury  his 
remains,  when  dead,  by  the  side  of  his  squaw  and  boy,  he 
received  a  rude  description  of  the  locality  of  that  mine. 
But  to  this  day  the  world,  perchance,  is  no  richer,  save  in 
fancy,  for  the  tin,  and  lead,  and  silver,  with  which  these 
mountains  abound.  Perchance  more  silver  may  some  day 
be  made  by  working  the  tin  veins  of  Jackson,  and  the  lead 

*  In  a  forthcoming  edition  of  THE  INDIAN  TRADITIONS  AND 
LEGENDS  OF  AGIOCHOOK,  this  tradition  and  ita  details  will  appear, 
perchance.  —  AUTHOR. 


THE   WHITE    MOUNTAINS.  71 

mines  of  Shelborne,  than  can  be  realized  by  magic  appli- 
cation for  hidden  treasures  and  silver  mines. 

WHITE-MOUNTAIN  HOTELS. 

The  world-wide  reputation  of  these  mountains,  gained 
since  they  were  first  called  "  Chrystal  Hills"  in  1631, 
yearly  calls  to  their  airy  heights  and  shaded  sylvan  retreats 
thousands  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  that  in  this  moun- 
tain land  they  may  for  a  season  shake  off  the  perplexities 
of  business  life,  and  freely  receive  the  invigorating  influ- 
ence of  health  and  comfort.  For  the  accommodation  of 
these  numerous  visitors,  mammoth  hotels  have  been 
erected  in  the  most  attractive  localities ;  and,  being  man- 
aged on  the  most  approved  city  style,  the  "  Alpine 
House"  at  Gorham  Station,  "  Thomson's  Glen  House" 
"  Gibbs'  Notch  House,"  and  "  The  White-Mountain 
House,"  give  satisfactory  evidence  of  their  deserved  popu- 
larity by  the  liberal  patronage  seasonably  bestowed  upon 
each.  Within  a  pleasant  drive  of  the  base  of  these 
mountains  are  delightful  villages  (Conway,  on  the  Saco ; 
Gorham,  on  the  Androscoggin ;  Lancaster,  on  the  Connect- 
icut, and  Whitefield,  near  the  Amonoosuc),  where  the 
free  circulation  of  fresh  mountain  air,  and  pure  water, 
foaming  cold  from  icy  indentations  among  snowy  cliffs, 
afford  to  all  who  come  and  tarry  a  pleasant  and  healthful 


72  HISTORICAL    RELICS   OF 

contrast  to  the  sickly,  pent-up  city  street,  where  floats  a 
hot  atmosphere  of  pestilence  and  death. 

DWELLING-PLACE  IN  THE  CLOUDS. 

The  possibility  of  erecting  a  permanent  summer  home 
for  man  on  the  top  crag  of  Mount  Washington,  was 
for  a  long  time  looked  upon  with  serious  doubt,  and  con- 
sidered only  a  fit  subject  of  speculation  for  the  visionary. 

The  rude  stone  cabin,  in  our  reference  to  "  The  White- 
Mountain  Giant"  being  the  first  shelter  wherein  mortals 
could  on  this  bleak  pile  of  rocks  find  an  artificial  resting- 
place,  was  ever  by  the  winter  storms  rendered  a  most 
desolate  object,  though  sheltered  behind  a  bold  crag.  The 
shingle  roof,  split  down  in  the  woods  on  the  mountain 
side  and  packed  up  on  the  backs  of  men,  was  scattered  to 
the  four  winds.  The  levers  of  the  frost,  and  the  wild 
hurricane,  tumbled  down  the  thick  stone  walls  ;  and  every 
spring  a  roofless  heap  of  ruins,  with  a  rusty  old  stove,  and 
the  iron  chest,  was  left  to  tell  a  sad  story  of  the  invisible 
power  that  over  these  towering  summits  stretches  the  arm 
of  destruction. 

NAZRO'S  TEMPLE  VISION. 

A  peculiar  genius,  in  1850,  obtained  a  supposed  free- 
soil  title  to  the  top  of  Mount  Washington,  with  all  the 
privileges  and  appurtenances  to  the  same  belonging ;  and, 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  73 

erecting  gateways  upon  all  the  bridle-paths  leading  up  to 
"  the  peaks  in  the  clouds"  exacted  one  dollar  as  toll-fee 
from  each  and  every  person  who  ascended.  He  also 
published  a  naming  proclamation  in  the  papers  of  the  day, 
of  which  this  is  a  true  copy  : 

PROCLAMATION. 

FOURTH    OF    JULY    ON 

THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS 

There  will  be  a  solemn  congregation  upon  TKINITY 
HEIGHT,  or  Summit  of  Mount  Washington,  on  the 
Fourth  Day  of  July,  A.  D.  1851,  and  1st  year  of  the 
Theocracy,  or  Jewish  Christianity,  to  dedicate  to  the 
coming  of  the  Ancient  of  Days,  in  the  glory  of  His  King- 
dom, and  to  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb ;  and  the  literal 
organization  in  this  generation  of  the  Christian  or  purple 
and  royal  Democracy  (let  no  man  profane  that  name !), 
or  the  thousand  thousands,  and  ten  thousand  times  ten 
thousand  of  the  people  of  the  Saints  of  the  most  high 
God  of  every  nation  and  Denomination  into  the  great- 
ness of  God's  kingdom  and  dominion  under  the  whole 
heavens ;  and  there  will  be  a  contribution  for  this  purpose 
from  all  who  are  willing,  in  the  beauty  of  holiness,  from 
the  dawn  of  that  day. 

JOHN  COFFIN  NAZKO, 
Israel  of  Jerusalem. 


74  HISTORICAL  RELICS  OF  • 

The  appointed  fourth  of  July  was  as  dark  and  rainy  as 
any,  perhaps,  that  ever  shrouded  Mount  Washington  in 
wildly-flying  clouds ;  and  Nazro,  meeting  with  strong 
opposition  in  toll-gathering,  relinquished  his  temple-build- 
ing designs,  and,  throwing  away  his  gate-keys  to  the  en- 
trance of  this  mighty  altar,  retired  to  United  States  ser- 
vice, where,  perchance,  he  may  be  now  plotting  the  way 
to  fortune  among  the  clouds. 

SUMMIT  HOUSE  ON   MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

The  matter-of-fact  enterprise  of  two  thorough-going 
Yankees,  J.  S.  Hall  and  L.  M.  Rosebrook,  came  to  the 
task  in  1852,  and  the  above-named  house  was  erected 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  highest  rock  of  Mount  Washing- 
ton. (See  right-hand  house  in  cut  on  first  page.)  This 
structure  is  of  heavy  stones,  blasted  with  powder  from 
the  mighty  paramid  on  which  it  stands ;  and  it  is  twenty- 
four  feet  by  sixty-four  feet,  firmly  secured  to  its  everlast- 
ing foundation  by  cement,  heavy  iron  bolts ;  and  over  the 
roof  are  tightened  four  strong  cables.  In  opposition  to 
the  prophecies  of  the  unbelieving,  this  house  stood  the 
storms  of  winter;  and  the  next  summer  another  house 
was  etone-built,  and  called  the 

TIP-TOP  HOUSE. 
This  house  was  erected  by  Samuel  F.  Spaulding  &  Co., 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  75 

and  cement  and  iron  rods  hold  this  monument  of  daring 
enterprise,  in  proud  defiance  of  wind  and  storm,  to  the 
most  bleak  top  crag  of  Mount  Washington.  This  house 
is  twenty-eight  feet  wide  by  eighty-four  feet  long ;  and 
has  a  deck-roof,  whereon  the  visitor  may  stand  and  look 
down  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet,  on  to 
the  vast  map  spread  on  every  side  at  his  feet.  (On  the 
first  page  of  this  book  this  house  is  seen  in  the  engraving, 
with  a  telescope,  and  three  visitors  on  its  roof,  under  a 
flag  of  our  country.) 

These  two  houses  are  unitedly  managed  by  a  company 
of  hardy  mountaineers,  who  spare  no  pains  to  make  this 
famous  resort  a  true  home  to  the  admiring  stranger,  and 
a  pleasant  resting-place  to  the  travel-worn  pilgrim.  All 
who  seek  health  and  pleasure  in  this  pure  mountain  cli- 
mate, or  a  gratification  of  curiosity  for  the  wonderful  in 
sublime  scenery,  will  find  here  ample  accommodations  for 
their  comfort,  both  day  and  night.  The  changing  scenes 
and  reflections  connected  with  e'very  sunset  and  sunrise, 
enjoyed  from  this  elevation,  are  remarkable  beyond  descrip- 
tion. Here  too  sunlight  plays  upon  the  bald  rocks,  while 
black  storms,  armed  with  wind  and  thunder,  move  like  the 
shadows  of  destroying  giants  in  the  habitated  regions 
below.  Here  the  moon,  with  its  starry  host,  sends  down 
its  solemn  light  upon  the  gray  crags,  kindling  into  a  fiery 
glow  a  hundred  lakes,  ponds,  rivers,  and  dashing  moun- 
8 


76  HISTORICAL   RELICS   OF 

tain  streams,  and  strangely  enlivening  every  shady  glen 
with  flitting  lights  and  shades  for  the  sombre  world.  Never 
did  Seer  from  the  land  of  the  pyramids,  or  Chaldean  star- 
gazer,  study  the  heavens  from  an  observatory  like  this. 
Ye  who  would  enjoy  the  sports  of  stream  and  forest,  come 
to  these  mountains !  Ye  who  delight  to  behold  the  works 
of  nature  in  their  most  sublime  flights,  come  to  these 
mountains '  Ye  who  have  a  love  for  novelty  and  a  desire 
for  true  pleasure,  come  and  behold  God's  wisdom  dis- 
played in  the  bold  outlines  of  this  gigantic  monument  of 
his  almighty  power !  Here  the  undying  features  of  grand- 
eur were  moulded  in  imperishable  materials  by  his  hand ! 

MOUNT  WASHINGTON  CARRIAGE-ROAD. 

A  company,  known  as  the  Mount  Washington  Carriage- 
Road  Company,  was  chartered  in  June,  1853,  by  the  Legis- 
lature of  New  Hampshire,  with  a  capital-stock  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  The  first  day  of  September,  1853,  this 
company  was  organized  at  the  Alpine  House,  Gorham, 
and  the  following  board  of  directors  was  chosen:  D.  0. 
Macomber,  of  New  York  ;  John  M.  Woods,  R.  J.  Robin- 
son, and  Abner  Lowell,  of  Portland;  J.  R.  Hitchcock  and 
James  Dingly,  of  Gorham;  and  Barker  Burbank,  of 
Shelborne.  D.  0.  Macomber  was  chosen  president;  J. 
R.  Lufkin,  secretary.  This  road  is  to  be  sixteen  feet 
wide,  macadamized,  and  have  a  protection-wall,  three 


THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  77 

feet  high  in  dangerous  places.  A  route  has  been  thor- 
oughly surveyed  and  located,  with  no  greater  rise  than 
that  of  one  foot  to  eight,  to  the  top  of  Mount  Washington, 
from  Thompson's  Glen  House.  The  distance  by  this  road 
varies  but  little  from  eight  miles,  and  it  is  now  —  June, 
1855  —  in  rapid  progress  towards  completion,  under  the 
contract  of  Messrs.  Rich  &  Myers.  When  a  carriage  can 
run  to  the  top  of  Mount  Washington,  who  can  prophesy 
what  a  bright  new  era  will  dawn  upon  White-Mountain 
life  ?  The  plan  of  this  road  reflects  great  credit  upon  the 
enterprise  of  the  president,  D.  0.  Macomber.  The  part 
now  located  is  so  calculated  as  to  bring  in  plain  prospect 
the  most  varied  and  wild  scenery  of  the  eastern  side ;  and 
a  survey  is  this  season  anticipated,  by  which  the  road  will 
be  located  somewhere  down  the  western  side ;  thus  com- 
pleting a  carriage-route  that  for  novelty,  and  unparalleled 
wonder-exciting  location,  will  not  in  the  western  world 
have  an  equal. 


78  THE  TOURIST'S  UUIDE  TO  THE 

WHITE  MOUNTAINS.    OBJECTS  OF  INTEREST. 

On  the  Eastern  side,  as  the  traveler  approaches  this 
Alpine  region,  he  will  naturally  inquire  for  the  objects  of 
interest,  to  which  he  wishes  to  direct  his  attention.  After 
booking  his  name  for  a  ride  to  the  summit  in  the  morning, 
from  the  Glen  House  he  will  pass  down  southerly  along  the 
public  road,  that  connects  the  eastern  and  western  travel 
around  these  mountains.  Romantic  scenery  in  its  most 
primitive  form  everywhere  greets  attention.  A  dark  old 
forest  rock  crumbled  from  frowning  crags — unpathed  recesses 
alone  haunted  by  wild  beasts,  and  deep,  wild  gorges 
filled  with  the  thunder  rush  of  wasteless  mountain  streams, 
pass  like  dream  changes  before  the  admirer's  vision,  and 
about  three  miles  from  the  Glen  brings  us  to 

THE  CRYSTAL  CASCADE. 

This  is  situated  on  the  right  hand,  in  a  dark  ravine  about 
a  hundred  rods  from  the  road,  and  the  whole  height  of  the 
falls  is  nearly  a  hundred  feet.  This  fall  is  broken  in  its 
course  by  projecting  rocks,  which  scatter  the  water-drops 
in  showers  of  spray,  like  liquid  silver,  upon  the  surround- 
ing foliage.  Over  other  indentations  of  the  cliff  the 
water  courses  down  green  beds  of  moss,  among  stunted 
trees  that  struggle  for  existence  in  the  scanty  soil  of  the 


WHITE   MOUNTAINS  AND   FRANCONIA.  79 

fissures  and  seams  of  splintered  crags.  This  stream  is  a 
tributary  sent  down  from  the  wild  gorges  on  the  southerly 
side  of  Mount  Washington.  Should  the  adventurous 
tourist  choose  this  route  to  the  summit,  he  may  find  the 
way  rugged  and  wild,  but  the  change  of  scenery  along  the 
highly  romantic  gorge  will  well  repay  the  extra  tax  upon 
time  and  nerve.  In  one  place  the 

HERMIT'S  LAKE, 

set  like  a  rich  gem  in  its  fanciful  frame-work  of  changeless 
evergreen,  appears,  and  stopping  to  enjoy  the  prospect,  the 
idea  of  overwhelming  wonder  rushes  upon  our  spirit  in  this 
solitary  spot.  Across  this  little  lake,  high  up  among  the 
rolling  clouds,  frowns  Mt.  Washington,  a  view  of  which 
from  this  point  strangely  contrasts  with  the  sparkling  rush 
of  noisy  water,  and  the  evergreen  freshness  of  surrounding 
woods.  To  the  westward  rises  the  craggy  top  of  Mt. 
Washington,  and  upon  all  sides,  except  the  outlet  through 
this  little  lake,  known  as  The  Crystal  Stream,  appear  high 
towering  cliffs,  rendered  a  picture  of  desolation  by  the 
deep,  wide  track  of  many  an  avalanche.  Little  spots  of 
verdure,  blasted  shrubbery,  and  piles  of  granite  fragment 
appear  below,  with  the  long  snow-bank  and  famous  snow- 
arch,*1  through  which  runs  the  stream  that  tumbles  from 


*See  de«crp',ion  of  snovr-arcb,  15!h  psge. 


HO  THE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE  TO  THE 

the  ragged  cliff  above.  Over  all  mark  the  mighty  pile  of 
mountains  that  hangs  high  in  bold  relief  against  the  sky, 
and  behold  the  famous 

"FALL  OF  A  THOUSAND  STREAMS," 

divided  in  its  descent  into  silvery  streams  that  in  number 
will  warrant  the  above  appellation,  and  you  have  a  picture 
of  the  Mountain  Coliseum  here  faintly  referred  to,  and  this 
also  is  known  as  Tuckerman's  Ravine. 

Glen  Elise  Falls  are  situated  a  mile  below  Crystal  Cas- 
cade, and  considered  an  object  of  quite  as  much  interest  as 
that  of  its  rival.  It  is  on  the  left  side  of  the  road,  a  few 
rods  off,  in  a  deep,  dark  ravine  on  Elise  River.  The 
water  falls  in  an  unbroken  sheet  about  eighty  feet.  On 
top  of  the  crag  from  which  this  stream  is  projected,  stands 
a  finely  rooted  old  hemlock,  that  in  defiance  to  the  warring 
elements  stretches  its  shaggy  top  out  a  hundred  feet  above 
the  top  of  the  fall.  Up  this  tree  a  boy  once  climbed  to  the 
very  top,  in  presence  of  a  party  of  visitors,  and  looking 
down  into  its  fearful  vortex  of  boiling  water,  nearly  two 
hundred  feet,  seemed  perfectly  indifferent  concerning  his 
dangerous  position.  Descending,  he  was  rewarded  for  this 
dare-devil  feat  by  an  admiring  stranger  with  a  York  shil- 
ling. "  The  Lake  of  the  Clouds  "  and  «  Star  Lake,"  set 


WHITE   MOUNTAINS   AND   FKANCONIA.  81 

like  glittering  diamonds  in  rough  granite  frames,  on  the 
indentation  between  the  tops  of  Mt.  Washington  and  Mt. 
Monroe,  will  well  repay  the  excursionist  for  a  visit  to  their 
romantic  shores,  distant  from  tip-top  a  mile  and  a  half. 
"  The  Gulf  of  Mexico  "  and  "  Spcndding's  Lake,"  are  at 
least  worth  a  trip  from  the  Atlantic,  from  all  who  would 
look  with  proud  satisfaction  upon  nature  in  her  sublimest 
mood.  These  curiosities  are  situated  near  the  head  of  the 
most  northerly  branch  of  Peabody  River,  between  Mt. 
Washington  and  Mt.  Clay,  and  are  similar  in  feature  to 
the  general  outlines  of  Tuckerman's  Ravine.  In  place, 
however,  of  seeing  another  Fall  of  a  Thousand  Streams, 
the  tourist  must  be  content  with  loosing  from  the  over- 
hanging cliff  vast  boulders,  that  smoking  and  thundering 
down  deep  in  the  gorge  below,  are  splintered  and  lost  amid 
the  ruins  of  trees  shattered  on  their  downward  trail.  This 
little  lake,  known  in  its  wild  bed  as  "  Spaulding's  Lake" 
to  appearance  was  formed  by  a  slide  from  Mt.  Washington ; 
and  very  recently  another  slide,  from  the  southerly  crags 
of  Mt.  Adams,  has  left  its  rusty,  iron  track,  and  piled  its 
ruins  in  wild  confusion  high  up  within  the  waters  of  this 
lake.  On  this  pile,  as  an  apology  for  the  name  given  this 
solitary  sheet,  may  be  seen  engraved,  "  J.  H.  S.,  1853." 

Many  places  of  interest  are  yet  around  this  gigantic 
pile  of  peaks,  but  partially  explored.     The  field  is  open  to 


82  THE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE  TO  THE 

the  spirit  of  discovery,  and  besides  the  piles  of  cows' 
bones  found  last  season  in  the  "  burnt  district,"  by  Mr. 
Hall,  places  worthy  of  note  and  more  relics  interesting  to 
the  antiquarian  will  doubtless  yearly  be  brought  to  light, 
till  these  cliffs  and  gorges,  from  being  an  "  unknown  cer- 
tainty" become,  like  a  book,  thoroughly  understood  and 
admired. 

On  the  westerly  side  of  these  mountains,  the  chief  ob- 
jects of  interest  are  the  Notch,  (already  referred  to  on 
49th  page,)  the  Upper  and  Lower  Falls  of  the  Amonosoc, 
Mt.  Willard,  and  the  carriage  ride  to  its  summit.  The 
wilderness  valley  stretched  over  thousands  of  acres,  with 
the  old  site  of  the  Fabyan  stand,  opened  in  the  wilderness, 
for  the  travelers'  relief,  like  a  desert  oasis.  Here  stand 
upon  the  "  Giant's  Grave,"  (that  famed  spot,)  where,  ac- 
cording to  legend,  sleeps  one  of  the  race  which  lived  in 
the  time  of  the  Saurians  and  Mastadons!  Here  lift  up 
your  voice,  discharge  the  shadow  of  Ethan's  cannon,  once 
kept  there,  blow  a  tin  horn,  or  fire  a  pistol,  then  listen  to 
the  vibration  of  echo,  sounding  among  a  hundred  peaks ! 
Ere  you  bid  farewell  to  the  scenery  from  this  mound,  be- 
hold the  westerly  declivities  of  the  Titanic  brotherhood  of 
craggy  White  Mountain  summits,  stretching  along  the 
southern  sky,  with  their  dark  fissures,  silvery  water- 
falls flashing  in  the  sunlight,  and  deep  wide  tracks  that 


WHITE   MOUNTAINS   AND    FRANCONIA.  83 

silently  tell  where  the  destroying  avalanche  has  been. 
Around  these  mountains  are  unnumbered  streams  that 
afford  abundant  sport  for  the  trout-catcher. 

"  The  Devil's  Den"  up  the  side  of  Mt.  Willard,  seen 
from  the  notch  opposite  the  Silver  Cascade,  though  as  yet 
but  imperfectly  explored,  it  deserves  a  passing  notice. 
From  below  it  appears  like  a  dark  hole  in  the  steep  cliff, 
and  though  various  attempts  have  been  made  to  explore  its 
shadowy  secrets,  from  the  day  it  was  first  discovered  by 
old  Abel  Crawford,  till  1850  it  remained  among  the  un- 
visited  wonders.  To  F.  LEAVITT,  Esq.,  belongs  the  credit 
of  succeeding,  by  means  of  a  rope  let  down  from  the  over- 
hanging rock  above,  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  daring 
enterprise  of  first  visiting  that  spot.  Fancy  a  man  sus- 
pended over  a  dark  gulf  more  than  a  thousand  feet  deep, 
by  a  rope  let  down  from  a  ragged  crag  to  a  dark  hole  in 
the  mountain,  around  the  entrance  of  which  were  scattered 
the  skulls  and  bones  of  animals,  and  you  have  a  glimmer- 
ing of  the  picture.  Our  hero  lost  all  desire  to  enter  that 
dismal  cavern,  and  kicking  the  rope,  was  again  drawn  up, 
and  since  that  time,  by  his  description,  no  explorer  has 
been  found  with  sufficient  nerve  and  curiosity  to  make  a 
second  attempt.  As  there  has  never  been  discovered  any 
possible  means  by  which  that  den  can  be  approached  by 
foothold  up  the  rock,  and  as  the  old  Evil  One  has  such 


84  THE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE  TO  TUB 

daily  business  with  mortal  affairs,  rather  than  believe  that 
to  be  his  abode,  it  appears  more  just  to  conclude  that  alone 
there  the  mountain  eagle  finds  a  solitary  home. 

BEARING  AND  DISTANCES   OF  WHITE  MOUN- 
TAINS. 

Mount  Washington  as  the  centre,  from  which 

Mount  Adams         is  distant  4  miles,  N.  by  E. 

"      Jefferson,          "  3     "  N.  by  w. 

"      Madison,  ..,"-•"  5     "  N.  N.  E. 

"      Clay,  "  1     "  N.  w. 

"      Munroe,  "  1     "  s.  w. 

"      Franklin,          "  2      "  s.  w. 

"      Pleasant,  "  3      "  s.  w. 

"      Clinton,  "  4     "  s.  w. 

HEIGHT,  BEARING  AND  DISTANCE 

OF   THE    LESS   IMPORTANT  WHITE  MOUNTAINS  AND  OTHER  MOUN- 
TAINS IN  THE  VICINITY,  FROM  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

Distance.        Bearing.  Height. 

Davis'  Spur,  2  miles  s.  S.  E.  5,400  feet. 

Notch  Range,  8  "  s.  w.  4,500  " 

Willey  Mountain,  8  "  s.  w.  4,400  " 

Mt.  Jackson,  6  "  s.  w.  4,100  " 

Mt.  Webster,  7  "  w.  N.  w.  4,000  " 

Giant's  Stairs,  8  «  s.  3,500  " 


1VHITE   MOUNTAINS  AND   FRANCONIA. 


85 


Mt.  Crawford, 
Mt.  Moriah, 
Franconia  Mount,  20 
Mt.  La  Fayette,     19 
Twin  Mountains,    14 
Mt.  Carigain, 
Moose-hillock, 
Saddle  Mountain,  22 
Mt.  Kinsman, 
Mt.  Cannon, 
Mt.  Whiteface, 
Chicorua, 
Kiarsarge, 
Double-head, 


Distance 
9  miles 

i         Bearing.              Height. 
s.  w.               3,200  feet. 

7     « 

N.  E. 

4,700 

« 

20     « 

8.  W. 

5,000 

" 

19     » 

W.  S.  W. 

5,200 

" 

14     " 

W.  S.  W. 

4,700,  5,000 

" 

14     " 

S.  S.  W. 

4,800 

tt 

31     « 

s.  vf. 

4,600 

" 

22     « 

S.  S.  W. 

4,000 

" 

25     " 

W.  S.  W. 

4,100 

u 

20     » 

w.  s.  w. 

4,000 

« 

24     « 

s.  by  w. 

4,100 

(1 

22     « 

s.  by  E. 

3,600 

u 

15     " 

8.  E. 

3,400 

« 

11     " 

S.  E. 

3,100 

» 

FRANCONIA  AND  ITS  ATTRACTIONS. 

The  tourist  who  would  enjoy  the  whole  scenery  of  this 
land  of  mountains  and  valleys,  must  not  fail  to  come  or  go 
by  the  way  of  Franconia.  Some  of  the  most  prominent 
attractions  of  the  vicinity,  situated  28  miles  from  the 
White  Mountain  Notch,  and  known  by  the  above  poetic 
title,  are  the  "  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain,"  (immortalized 
by  Hawthorne,)  "  The  Pool,"  "  The  Flume,"  "  Franconia 


86  THE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE  TO  THE 

Notch,"  "  Mount  Lafayette,"  "  Ferrin's  Pond,"  (the  old 
man's  wash-bowl,)  "  The  Basin,"  "  The  Cascade,"  "  Mtm 
Cannon,"  and  "  Mt.  Eagle." 

THE  OLD  MAN  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN, 

is  a  profile  of  the  human  face,  situated  on  a  peak  of  solid 
rock  one  thousand  feet  high,  and  nearly  perpendicular 
from  "  Ferrin's  Pond,"  known  as  the  "  old  man's  wash- 
bowl"  This  profile  was  discovered  about  forty  years  ago, 
while  a  party  was  laying  out  the  road  that  passes  it,  and  a 
guide-board  directs  the  traveler's  attention  thitherward. 
This  likeness  is  produced  by  the  irregular  projection  of 

five  blocks  of  granite.     Its  semblance  is  quite  life-like, 

• 
and  is  truly  a  worthy  object  of  wonder.     Various  Indian 

utensils  and  relics  have  been  found  in  that  vicinity,  which 
inclines  to  the  belief  that  this  with  the  aborigines  was  an 
object  of  superstitious  homage.  A  foot-path  from  the  La- 
fayette House  leads  directly  over  the  top  of  the  old  man's 
head,  and  sometimes  a  mortal  may  be  seen  standing  among 
the  bristly  hair  (bushes)  of  the  old  man's  foretop.  The 
entire  height  of  this  profile  is  sixty  feet. 

The  Pool  is  situated  midway  between  the  Basin  and  the 
Flume.  It  is  about  a  mile  from  the  Flume  House,  in  a 
wild,  romantic  grot,  completely  walled  in  by  rocky  cliffs. 


WHITE  MOUNTAINS  AND  FRANCONIA.  87 

The  Flume  is  about  a  mile  from  the  main  road,  and 
nearly  in  front  of  the  Flume  House.  A  foot-path  through 
the  woods  leads  the  visitor  to  the  spot.  A  wild  mountain 
torrent,  falling  over  precipitous  crags  and  loose  fragments, 
through  high  walls,  between  which  hangs  a  vast  granite 
boulder,  under  which  the  water  foams. 

The  Basin  is  a  deep  excavation  in  granite,  which  has 
been  formed  by  the  wearing  waters  of  the  Pemmasawasset, 
aided  by  the  action  of  stones  that  the  stream  has  swept 
into  the  cavity.  In  this  Basin  is  a  ledge  of  rock,  so  worn 
by  the  current  as  to  present  the  form  of  a  leg  and  foot  of 
giant  proportions.  This  is  termed  the  "  old  man's  leg." 

The  Cascade  is  below  the  Flume  a  short  distance.  The 
rock  here  for  the  distance  of  six  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
has  been  polished  by  the  continual  current  of  the  stream  to 
a  surface  like  glass. 

Mount  Lafayette,  or  the  "  great  hay-stack,"  is  a  lofty 
conical  pile  of  granite,  5,580  feet  high,  situated  to  the 
south-westward  of  the  village  of  Franconia.  A  foot-path 
leads  from  the  Lafayette  House  to  the  top,  and  the  view 
from  that  point  is  considered  but  little  inferior  to  the 
prospect  from  the  summit  of  Mt.  Washington. 

Mount  Eagle,  on  which  is  an  eagle's  eyrie,  is  fifteen  hun- 
dred feet  high,  and  rises  but  a  few  rods  from  the  Lafayette 


88  THE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE  TO  THE 

House.  Echo  Lake  is  about  two  hundred  rods  from  this 
house,  and  from  its  shining  waters  are  taken  many  of  the 
nicest  kinds  of  trout. 

The  Flume  House  is,  with  the  Lafayette  House,  well  cal- 
culated to  satisfactorily  accommodate  all  who  seek  pleasure 
and  health  in  this  mountain  region  ;  and  taken  as  a  whole, 
we  challenge  the  territory  of  our  Union  to  furnish  for  the 
Summer  tourist  a  more  desirable  retreat  than  our  own 
White  MouTitain  and  Franconia  Scenery. 

LENGTH   OF  DAYS. 

The  days  at  the  summit  of  Mt.  Washington  are  about 
forty  minutes  longer  than  on  the  ocean  level,  in  the  same 
latitude. 

THUNDER  STORMS. 

There  were  but  few  thunder  storms  that  approached 
near  to  the  summit ;  the  greater  part  of  them  passing 
below,  and  following  the  deep  valley  or  gulfs,  that  sur- 
round Mt.  Washington.  But  it  is  a  grand  sight  to  behold 
a  black  cloud  passing  along,  almost  beneath  your  feet,  the 
lightning  playing  through  it,  and  the  thunder  rolling  and 
reverberating  among  the  neighboring  mountains,  while  at 
the  same  time  the  sun  is  shining  brightly  upon  the  tops  of 
the  mountains.  Yet  such  scenes  are  often  witnessed,  and 
they  fill  the  mind  with  awe  and  wonder. 


WHITE   MOUNTAINS   AND   FRANCONIA. 


THERMOMETRICAL  TABLE,  AND  SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  WEATHER, 
&c.,  &c.,  AT  THE  SUMMIT  OF  MT.  WASHINGTON,  FOR  THE 
SEASONS  OF  1853-4.  PREPARED  BY  NATHANIEL  NOYES. 


JUNE,  1853. 


JULY,    1853. 


Day. 

Sunrise. 

12  M. 

Sunset. 

Day. 

Sunrise. 

12  M. 

Sunset. 

8 

32 

40 

34 

1 

43 

55 

45 

9 

31 

45 

40 

2 

32 

46 

38 

10 

38 

52 

48 

3 

44 

53 

48 

11 

44 

47 

43 

4 

52 

60 

54 

12 

32 

48 

44 

5 

42 

51 

42 

13 

43 

56 

47 

6 

39 

48 

39 

14 

48 

60 

55 

7 

29 

47 

37 

15 

53 

59 

55 

8 

38 

50 

49 

16 

54 

62 

55 

9 

41 

49 

45 

17 

54 

56 

52 

10 

45 

50 

45 

18 

43 

48 

40 

11 

45 

54 

48 

19 

39 

49 

42 

12 

40 

52 

45 

20 

50 

66 

58 

13 

38 

49 

45 

21 

48 

57 

50 

14 

42 

59 

49 

22 

54 

58 

55 

15 

52 

62 

51 

23 

58 

60 

55 

16 

51 

56 

52 

24 

56 

42 

35 

17 

44 

49 

37 

25 

30 

36 

32 

18 

39 

55 

48 

26 

24 

37 

30 

19 

52 

53 

50 

27 

32 

44 

38 

20 

42 

50 

41 

28 

34 

43 

35 

21 

38 

45 

46 

29 

45 

64 

58 

22 

42 

60 

56 

30 

54 

61 

53 

23 

50 

66 

56 

24 

54 

64 

59 

25 

52 

63 

55 

26 

50 

51 

45 

27 

43 

59 

49 

, 

28 

39 

47 

45 

29 

44 

59 

54 

30 

49 

59 

56 

31 

50 

59 

49 

90 


THE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE  TO  THE 


AUGUST,  1853. 


SEPTEMBER,  1853. 


Day. 

Sunrise. 

12  M. 

Sunset. 

Day. 

Sunrise. 

12  M. 

Sunset. 

1 

42 

59 

50 

1 

41 

51 

47 

2 

49 

51 

49 

2 

45 

58 

55 

3 

48 

58 

49 

3 

50 

58 

55 

4 

49 

54 

48 

4 

52 

55 

54 

5 

45 

54 

53 

5 

50 

58 

57 

6 

51 

60 

49 

6 

57 

59 

56 

7 

46 

53 

48 

7 

56 

49 

45 

8 

49 

58 

48 

8 

30 

40 

36 

9 

50 

52 

52 

9 

33 

44 

41 

10 

48 

59 

57 

10 

37 

40 

32 

11 

52 

62 

59 

11 

28 

29 

27 

12 

52 

60 

59 

12 

24 

29 

30 

13 

59 

60 

56 

13 

32 

36 

39 

14 

58 

60 

50 

14 

38 

46 

42 

15 

45 

57 

53 

15 

45 

50 

47 

16 

50 

56 

55 

16 

38 

42 

17 

49 

62 

55 

18 

48 

58 

51 

19 

33 

37 

33 

20 

30 

35 

36 

21 

36 

46 

45 

22 

39 

40 

35 

23 

33 

43 

42 

24 

37 

46 

45 

25 

44 

42 

36 

26 

31 

47 

42 

27 

42 

47 

47 

28 

34 

35 

32 

. 

29 

31 

46 

43 

30 

38 

51 

50 

31 

46 

49 

46 

WHITE  MOUNTAINS  AND   FRANCONIA.  91 

SUMM  AKY. 

The  following  is  a  Synopsis  of  the  Weather  during  each 
month : 

JUNE,  1853. 

Mean  temperature  at  Sunrise,  *  43.3  deg. 

>            "           «  12  M.,  53.5    " 

«             "            "  Sunset,  45.7    " 

Thermometer  stood  lowest,  26th  day,  24    " 

"              "      highest,  20th  day,  66    " 

JULY,  1853. 

Average  temperature  at  Sunrise,  43.5  deg. 

"                «           "  12  M.,  54.2    " 

"                "           "  Sunset,  47.7    " 

Thermometer  stood  highest,  23d  day,  66    " 

"               "     lowest,  7th  day,  29    " 

AUGUST,  1853. 

Average  temperature  at  Sunrise,  44  deg. 

"               "          «  12  M.,  51.5    " 

"                "           "  Sunset,  47.5    " 

Thermometer  stood  highest,  1 1th  day,  62    " 

"              "     lowest,  20th  day,  30    " 

SEPTEMBER,  1853. 

Average  temperature  at  Sunrise,  43.2  deg. 

"  12  M.,  46.8    » 

"                 "           "  Sunset,  44.2    " 

Thermometer  stood  highest,  6th  day,  59    " 

"               "     lowest,  12th  day,  24    " 


92 


THE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE  TO  THE 


JUNE,  1854. 


JULY,  1854. 


1 

• 

3 

N 
iH 

jj 

OQ 

Self- 
Register 
during 
night. 

S? 

R 

1 

ri 

e* 

IH 

4 

OQ 

Self- 
Register 
during 
night. 

10 

44 

46 

40 

36 

1 

40 

42 

42 

39 

11 

38 

46 

45 

38 

2 

40 

48 

48 

48 

12 

42 

52 

47 

42 

3 

54 

58 

58 

53 

13 

48 

58 

48 

44 

4 

54 

60 

60 

54 

14 

46 

54 

45 

45 

5 

54 

54 

50 

40 

15 

46 

52 

46 

41 

6 

40 

48 

46 

46 

16 

42 

46 

36 

29 

7 

49 

56 

58 

50 

17 

31 

41 

42 

42 

8 

50 

57 

56 

56 

18 

48 

54 

51 

48 

9 

60 

60 

54 

45 

19 

49 

54 

52 

46 

10 

45 

50 

48 

40 

20 

46 

51 

42 

40 

11 

40 

56 

56 

45 

21 

^43 

57 

50 

45 

12 

46 

54 

46 

31 

22 

50 

57 

50 

45 

13 

32 

51 

47 

44 

23 

46 

49 

48 

44 

14 

44 

58 

51 

50 

24 

44 

48 

46 

39 

15 

50 

62 

54 

50 

25 

39 

44 

36 

33 

16 

50 

64 

58 

53 

26 

34 

48 

44 

36 

17 

54 

62 

57 

46 

27 

42 

52 

47 

46 

18 

48 

50 

55 

55 

28 

54 

58 

56 

36 

19 

55 

63 

61 

55 

29 

36 

54 

48 

42 

20 

56 

70 

63 

57 

30 

46 

46 

46 

40 

21 

58 

60 

58 

51 

22 

52 

62 

58 

52 

23 

54 

55 

57 

51 

24 

53 

56 

54 

54 

25 

54 

60 

55 

54 

26 

56 

60 

54 

39 

27 

39 

45 

40 

38 

28 

41 

50 

49 

45 

~" 

29 

48 

49 

52 

45 

30 

47 

48 

44 

40 

31 

40 

50 

5) 

48 

WIIITE   MOUNTAINS   AND   FRANCONIA. 


93 


AUGUST,  1854. 


SEPTEMBER,  1854. 


1 

0 

1 

ri 

d 

r-l 

1 

Self- 
Register 
during 
night. 

f 

<D 

ja 
02 

g 

« 
i-i 

o5 

9 

02 

Self- 
Register 
(luring 
night. 

1 

50 

61 

56 

52 

1 

48 

52 

50 

2 

54 

51 

46 

36 

2 

38 

50 

50 

3 

38 

40 

45 

44 

3 

51 

52 

51 

4 

46 

47 

46 

43 

4 

40 

50 

49 

5 

45 

56 

54 

47 

5 

54 

60 

59 

6 

47 

54 

45 

31 

6 

58 

64 

57 

7 

33 

38 

36 

32 

7 

52 

49 

42 

8 

33 

42 

38 

32 

8 

33 

41 

45 

9 

34 

66 

48 

36 

9 

46 

45 

43 

10 

38 

56 

50 

44 

10 

32 

42 

34 

11 

45 

60 

54 

49 

11 

32 

46 

46 

12 

49 

52 

52 

51 

12 

40 

48 

46 

13 

52 

54 

51 

33 

13 

30 

40 

45 

14 

33 

34 

36 

32 

14 

36 

42 

38 

15 

41 

47 

45 

44 

15 

40 

40 

32 

16 

48 

55 

49 

48 

16 

36 

17 

48 

55 

48 

46 

18 

47 

50 

40 

39 

19 

39 

58 

48 

44 

20 

45 

59 

50 

46 

21 

46 

50 

48 

40 

' 

22 

42 

49 

40 

30 

23 

30 

-  54 

52 

50 

24 

50 

56 

50 

36 

25 

36 

40 

38 

38 

26 

39 

44 

46 

45 

27 

46 

44 

38 

39 

28 

39 

48 

43 

39 

29 

39 

56 

60 

48 

30 

48 

50 

57 

51 

31 

51 

56 

60 

48 

94  THE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE  TO  TUB 

SUMMARY. 

The  following  is  a  synopsis  of  the  weather  during  each 
month : 

JUNE,  1854. 

Mean  temperature  at  sunrise,  43.5  deg. 

"  "  »  12  M.,  50.8    « 

"  "  sunset,  46       " 

"          by  self-register  during  night,    40.8    " 

"  "          of  the  month,  45.3    " 

Coldest  day,  17th  mean,  38       " 

Warmest  day,  28th  mean,  56       " 

Range  of  thermometer,  29       " 

Thermometer  highest  13th  and  28th,  58       " 

"  lowest  16th,  29 

Northerly  winds  prevailed  16  days. 
Southerly      "  "  5  days. 

Clear,  and  mostly  clear,  12  days. 
Cloudy,  and  mostly  cloudy,  11  daya 
Rainy,  part  or  all  of  the  day,  5  day; 

JULY,  1854. 

Mean  temperature  at  sunrise,  46.9  deg. 

"  "  «    12  M.,  53.9     « 


WHITE  MOUNTYINS  AND   FKANCONIA.  95 

Mean  temperature  at  sunset,  51.5  " 

"  "  by  self-register  during  night,  46.2  " 

"  "  of  the  month,  49.6  " 

Coldest  day,  27th  mean,  40.5  " 

Warmest  day,  20th  mean,  61.5  " 

Range  of  thermometer, 

Thermometer  highest,  20th,  70  " 

lowest,  13th,  31  " 

Northerly  winds  prevailed  25  days. 

Southerly      "  "  6  days. 

Clear,  and  mostly  clear,  22  days. 

Cloudy,  and  mostly  cloudy,  9  days. 

Rainy,  part  or  all  of  the  day,  5  days. 

AUGUST,  1854. 

Mean  temperature  at  sunrise,  43  deg. 

«  «  "   12  M.,  51  " 

"  "  "   sunset,  45.8  " 

«  "          by  self-register  during  night,     41  " 

"  of  the  month,  45.2  " 

Coldest  day,  14th  mean,  34  " 

Warmest  day,  1st  mean,  55  " 

Range  of  Thermometer,  36 

Thermometer  highest,  9th,  66  " 


96  THE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE  TO  THE 

Thermometer  lowest,  22d,  30    deg. 

Northerly  winds  prevailed,  30  days. 

Southerly    "  "  1  day. 

Clear,  and  mostly  clear,  26  days. 

Cloudy,  and  mostly  cloudy,  5  days. 

Rainy,  part  or  all  of  the  day,  3  days. 

SEPTEMBER,  1854. 

Mean  temperature  at  sunrise,  42     deg. 

"  "  "   12  M.,  48       « 

"  "  "   sunset,        "''.    '  45.8    " 

"  "  for  the  month,  45.3    " 

Coldest  day,  10th  mean,  36       " 

Warmest  day,  6th  mean,  59.7    " 

Range  of  Thermometer,  58       " 

Thermometer  highest,  6th,  64       " 

"        lowest,  16th,  6       " 

Northerly  winds  prevailed,  14  days. 

Southerly      "  "  1  day. 

Clear,  and  mostly  clear,  10  days. 

Cloudy,  and  mostly  cloudy,  5  days. 

Rainy,  part  or  all  day,  4  days. 


ROUTES  AND  DISTANCES 

FROM 

o?e 


From  Bo'ton  to  Portland,         _--._-        105  miles. 
"     Portland  to  Alpine  House,  Gorham,  N.  H.,  via  Atlantic 

&  ht.  Lawrence  Railroad,        -       -        -       -       -     91     " 
"     Alpine  House  to  Glen  House,  at  bas'e  of  Mt.  Washington,   8     " 

196  miles  by  Railroad,  8  miles  by  stage,    -        -     204     " 

COCHECO  ROUTE. 

From  Boston  to  Dover,  via  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  -        68  miles. 
"     Dover  to  Alton  Bay,    -       -       -       -       -       -        -     28 

"  Alton  Bay  to  Centre  Harbor,  by  steamer,  -  -  30  " 
"  Centre  Harbor  to  Crawford  House,  -  -  -  -  56  " 

96  miles  by  Railroad,  30  by  Steamer,  56  by  Stage,  182     " 

EOUTE   via  WEIRS   AND   CENTRE  HARBOR. 
From  Boston  to  Weirs,     -        -       -        -        -       -       -        103  milee. 

"     Weirs  to  Centre  Harbor,     ......      10     " 

"     Centre  Harbor  to  Conway,      -----         30     " 

"     Conway  to  Crawford  House,      .....      24     " 

103  miles  by  Railroad,  10  by  Steamer,  54  by  Stage,  167     " 

From  Boston  to  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  by  Railroad,        -        -        124  miles. 
Plymouth  to  Flume  House,  Franconia  Notch,  by  stage,    24     " 
Flume  House  to  Profile  House,        -       -        -       -  6     " 

Profile  House  to  White  Mountain  House,     -       -        -    26     " 
White  Mountain  House  to  Crawford  House,     -  5     " 

Crawford  House  to  Willey  House,        -       -       -        -      2     " 

BOTJTE  via  WELLS  BIVEE  AND  LITTLETON,  N.  H. 

From  Boston  to  Wells  River,    -       -        -        -       -  .     -        162  miles. 

"     Wells  River  to  Littleton,     -       -       -        -       -       -      20     " 

"     Littleton  to  Crawford  House,  -  '     -        -        -        -         23     " 

182  miles  by  Railroad,  23  by  Stage,     -        -        -    205     " 

ROUTE  via  8EEAGO  LAKE. 

From  Boston  to  Portland,         ------  105  miles. 

"     Portland  to  Standish,  .......      16" 

"  Standish  to  Bridgeton,  by  steamer,  .  -  -  -  28  " 
"  Bridgeton  to  Conway,  __-_..  21  " 
"  Conway  to  Crawford  House,  -  -  -  -  24  " 

115  miles  by  Railroad,  51  by  Stage,  28  by  Steamer,  194     " 

DISTANCE  FROM  DIFFERENT  HOUSES  TO  SUMMIT  OF  MT.  WASHING- 
TON. —  From  Alpine  House,  by  carriage  3  miles,  ponies  6  miles.  9  miles. 
From  Glen  House,  by  ponies,  6  miles.  From  Crawford  House,  by 
ponies,  8  miles.  From  White  Mountain  House,  by  carriage  6  miler-, 
ponies  3  1-2  miles,  9  1-2  miles. 


Summit  House,  Mt,  Washington,  N.  H. 

The  undersigned  having  purchased  and  connected  the 

TIP-TOP  AND 

Hope  to  be  able  to  accommodate  satisfactorily  all  who 
visit  this  romantic  and  popular  Summer  Resort. 

The  House  is  situated  within  a  few  feet  of  the  highest  peak 
of  the  Mountain,  is 

Six  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea ! 

And  commands  a  grand  view  of  the  whole  group  of  the  White 
Mountains,  numerous  Lakes  and  Rivers,  the  Ocean,  City  of 
Portland,  and  Towns  and  Villages  hi  all  directions.  A  view  of 
the  scenery  from  the  summit  during  the  day  is  truly  sublime, 
and  those  spending  the  night  here,  are  amply  repaid  with  a 
fine  prospect  at  sunrise  and  sunset,  and  Telescopic  views  of  the 
Moon  and  Stars  during  the  evening. 

Parties  wiping  to  visit  Tuckerman's  Ravine,  "  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico," Lake  of  the  Clouds,  Star  Lake,  or  any  other  interesting 
locality  in  the  vicinity,  will  be  furnished  with  an  experienced 
GUIDE,  by  the  Proprietors. 

The  Houses  at  the  base  of  the  Mountains  are  unsurpassed  for 
comfort  and  elegance.  Persons  desirous  of  obtaining  a  GOOD 
VIEW  of  the  whole  Mountain  Scenery,  should  ascend  from  one 
side,  pass  the  night  upon  the  summit,  and  descend  by  the 
opposite  side. 

The  SUMMIT  HOUSE  will  be  opened  to  receive  company, 
June  15th,  1855. 

SPAULDING  &  Co., 

PROPRIETORS. 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 
Rte  stamped  below. 


FEB 


REMINGTON  RAND  INC.  20      213          (533) 


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